551 Project

An encouraging article on Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald today quotes Tomohiko Taniguchi, previously spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo.

“Of the hundreds of matters he dealt with, the one he dreaded most was defending Japan’s whaling program…’I hated this issue because there’s no point in Japan sticking to its position,’ he tells the Herald.”

The Japanese whaling industry is neglibible in contributing to their economy, the number of people who derive their living from whaling is a tiny fraction in a country of 130 million. With a worsening economy the subsidies and concessions provided to the whaling industry will become harder to justify especially when compared to the damage done to international relationships.

Do we dare hope that we are looking at the last days of whaling by Japan?

The Nisshin Maru left Japan yesterday to head to Antarctica with a quota of 935 minke and 50 fin whales.

IFAW has called on the Australian Government to formally request that the Government of Japan recall its whaling fleet or take international legal action to stop them.

Looks like diplomacy has failed and the Australian Government has yet to announce whether they will send a vessel to monitor the fleet or whether they will consider legal action.

***UPDATE***

Ask Minister for the Environment Peter Garrett to take action here.

Things are changing quickly this whaling season…

The Japanese Government has decided not to send coastguard officers to protect the Japanese whaling vessels. It has also been reported, although still unconfirmed, that Japan has lowered its whaling target this season by 20% to 750.  Meanwhile the Australian government is not going to send a surveillance vessel this year and is going to spend $6 million on a whale research program that will refute Japan’s claims that whales need to be killed in order to research them.

Humpback whales will not be targeted but that is still a lot of whales that will die a painful and needless death in the name of science.

Do you think that the anti-whaling protests are working? Or is this one of the few upsides of the global economic downturn?

Whatever the reasons it’s time to keep the pressure on, we need your photos. If you are catching up with friends or going to an event take your camera and get your friends to be a part of Project 551.

Outstanding vet Dr Jan Allen, has been honoured with an IFAW Action Award today. Dr Allen worked as an Australian Volunteer International vet placed with Animal Protection Society (APS) in Samoa for two years before moving to the Northern Territory, where she has worked in several Indigenous communities.

Also being presented with an award are wildlife carers Shirley Lack , one of the founders of Native Animal Network Association (NANA) and Shania Gardner, the youngest person in Australia to be awarded an IFAW Action Award.

A few weeks back I blogged about IFAW Action Awards, calling for any animal heroes to be nominated.

I am now happy to announce the first winner of the 2008 IFAW Action Awards, Marny Bonner, co-founder of Australian Seabird Rescue (ASR), who has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to wildlife rescue.  The award is also dedicated to her partner, the late Lance Ferris, who sadly passed away in October 2007.

Marny Bonner is one of six animal heroes across Australia to receive an IFAW accolade this year.  The other winners will be announced over the next two weeks.

If you are anywhere near Customs House at Circular Quay in Sydney, drop in to the Library on level 1 as there is a wonderful exhibition on display.

To coincide with Animal Action Week (4th - 10th October 2008) and its’ theme Beneath the Waves - Protecting Marine Wildlife, they are featuring a selection of Project 551 images in the library, so drop in and take a look.

If you haven’t checked out the Animal Action Week website, take a look. There’s an action for every day of the week that you can do during  the week or at any time of the year. As well as a movie to download, an education pack and activities or take the Plastic Bag Pledge and help protect Marine Life.

To find out more about the issues facing marine life and how you can help, sign up to IFAW’s Action Alerts on the website and show you care about animals and the environment in which they live.

Happy Animal Action Week!

On Friday 3rd October Her Royal Highness Princess Salote Mafile’o Pilolevu Tuita was officially declared the Royal Patron of Whales in the Kingdom of Tonga!

In an event hosted by IFAW, the Tonga Visitors Bureau, Vava’u Tourism Association and the Tonga Whale Watching Operators Association, HRH Princess Pilolevu accepted the title in honour of her father, the late King Tupou IV, who banned all hunting of whales in Tonga in 1978.

Read more about the event

A great big enourmous thank you to our friends at National Geographic Channel who are currently playing the Project 551 spot on the channel.

If you’ve found a way to promote Project 551 or managed to snaffle a host of photos, tell us how, why, where and when.   

We recently got an email from Lauren in South Africa who is a high school student. They were given a project to create a poster highlighting an environmental issue and her group chose ‘Save the whales’, which brought her all the way to Australia and a little Project called 551…

Lauren now wants to get her school involved and is taking photos of her friends and classmates making a whale tail to upload on the website, I think she is at 40 and counting…

It’s inspirational when people from all over the world discover Project 551 and get involved in a big way. While we asked Australians to send a message to Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, it always amazes me the number of people all over the world who want to see an end to whaling.

Just wanted to say thanks to Lauren and everyone who has sent in a photo so far.

Whale tail friends, you are in good company, Project 551 was featured on Gisele Bundchen’s green blog! 

I had no idea she was so interested in environmental matters but apparently she launched this blog in April to discuss issues of interest to her and share info with like minded souls.

Now if only we could get her to send us a photo…