Whales Can't Call 911 For Help - But This Is Close
I got this email from Pawel Achtel, who is planning an amazing project!
However, he needs some funding to cover some of his costs to make this project possible.
Over the last week I've been discussing with Pawel the possibility of raising funds trhough a website from the general public, like you - because right now he is just relying on corporate/business sponsorship.
So coming soon I will be posting a site that you can make donations to this project:
I am in a need of urgent assistance and support. If there was a way to stop Japanese whaling, it could not get any better than this.
Background:
As you may be aware Japan has decided to illegally kill whales despite the outrage of public opinion, international laws and disapproval of IWC. Yoshimasa Hayashi, a member of Japan's House of Councillors, warned that it would break the 20-year moratorium on commercial whaling if international regulators failed to establish a whaling management system by the end of June. In addition, Hayashi said Japan will double its annual quota of research whaling from the current more than 700, increasing both the number of species hunted and the hunting area. And for the first time in two decades, Japan will target the endangered humpback and fin species.
And Japan will get away with it because IWC regulations have no enforcement agency to back up the rules and other nations are reluctant to impose economic sanctions on such a powerful nation. Even though Australian government has strongly opposed such senseless killing, it decided not to use enforcement as it did with other violations, such as illegal Indonesian fishing boats.
However, there is one unofficial enforcement agency for international regulations and conventions and that is Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (www.seashepherd.org). Stopping the Japanese whaling fleet is the priority campaign for the Sea Shepherd for this year. Captain Paul Watson and his crew are preparing their flagship the Farley Mowat and they will be crossing the Pacific to Australia for final preparations to head down to the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. Sea Shepherd intends to intervene and intends to intercept the Japanese fleet in December 2005 and January 2006.
The Society unsuccessfully hunted the Japanese fleet during the 2002 and 2003 fleet. “It was our first attempt and we learned what we needed to learn to find them. I am confident that we will find them this year and I am confident we will be able to interfere with their cruel intentions,” said Captain Paul Watson. And, they are not novices. During the last twenty-five years, Sea Shepherd has sunk two Icelandic whalers, two Spanish whalers, one pirate whaler in Portugal, three Norwegian whalers, and assisted South Africa in seizing and sinking two additional pirate whalers. Additionally, Sea Shepherd forced the pirate whaler Cape Fisher to drop out of the illegal activity for a total of eleven whaling operations shut down.
I have contacted Captain Paul Watson and I intend to join them to help achieve their goal. I have substantial resources and skills for such operation. I am also intending to produce an IMAX and cinema film about whales and the action in Antarctica this summer. I believe that a giant screen conservation film showing beauty of whales, cruel and illegal action of Japanese whales and their subsequent failure to achieve financial gain are going to send strong message and will put international whaling into history.
I am asking for funding to help finance the filming on this trip only. While the production cost is estimated to be around $3 - $4mln, at this stage it is critical that I acquire extensive footage from this expedition. I have other arrangements in place to secure further funding to finish the film. The time is critical as I have to start necessary preparations right now.
Wow, isn't that great!
If you have done any amount of research on the state of whales, you will know that the whales are in drastic need of protection from whaling nations. If they aren't protected then many of them will be extinct within ten years!
WE NEED TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO PROTECT THE WHALES FROM THE WHALING NATIONS...
Or else they will be gone forever, and that would be a shame!
I will give updates on the progress of this project as I hear them, and will be posting the link to the website soon.
- Gary Schmidt
