BlueViews - The
BlueVoice Blog
Introduction
Tuesday,
May 29, 2007 - Some Signs of Hope
By Hardy Jones
I want to Blog today on what it is that BlueVoice does at
a huge international meeting such as the IWC. It has always
been clear to me that a small, focused organization with
no political or corporate ties can have a strong impact even
on these august proceedings. One piece of film documenting
brutality to dolphins can have a huge impact on decisions
related to whales.
Deborah Cutting, marketing and communications director at
BlueVoice, and I met with our Japanese ally Sakae
Hemme. BlueVoice funded the transportation and hotel for
Sakae, a famous Japanese writer and associate of Elsa Nature
Conservancy of Japan. We have worked with Sakae for nearly
seven years now, traveling to the fishing villages where
dolphins are killed. Sakae is one of the world’s greatest
detectives and chroniclers and it is important to have Japanese
who support the whales and dolphins making their voices heard.
Soon Sakae will take off on a confidential mission in Alaska.
We’ll report her results when she lifts the embargo.
New Zealand’s delegate made an impassioned plea in
plenary session to the Japanese not to kill the humpbacks
so beloved in New Zealand. It was a very moving speech. I
expect some very strange twists and turns on the humpback
issue before the IWC ends on the 31st.
So far Greenland’s hunt for humpbacks has not been
approved.
BlueVoice met with the Alaska Department of Health as part
of our efforts to gather data on levels of toxins in marine
mammals and connection of marine pollution to human health
problems.
Toxins in marine mammals is emerging as a major concern
worldwide and, by perverse irony, may be a tool to end whaling
and the slaughter of dolphins. BlueVoice met with WDCS and
other Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) to discuss this
issue. I pointed out that what is needed now is some data
supporting the fact that the high levels of heavy metals
and organic pollutants showing in marine mammals has been
harmful to human populations. We know whale and dolphin meat
can contain dangerous levels of these contaminants but I
believe we need example of individuals or populations of
humans who have suffered adverse health consequences from
consuming cetacean meat.
We ended the meeting agreeing to hold a meeting in Japan
consisting of members of the environmental groups BlueVoice.org,
WDCS and Elsa Nature Conservancy, along with medical experts
in Japan specializing in mercury and organic pollutants in
the marine food chain. It is also our hope to involve medical
doctors who may be able to provide epidemiological data showing
cancer clusters or examples of impaired development in children
resulting from ingestion of marine mammals or fish.
Quote of the day or maybe the century:
When confronted with evidence that Greenlanders (Greenland
became an integral part of Denmark in 1953) were exposed
to high levels of mercury by eating marine mammals and that
might cause a drop in intelligence in young people, a Danish
spokesman said “It is not necessary for Greenlanders
to have a high IQ.”
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