PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
JAPANESE WHALE AND DOLPHIN HUNTING (15 September 2010)

That this House is deeply concerned that the Japanese Government issues quotas for the slaughter of over 18,000 dolphins, porpoises and other whales in coastal waters each year despite the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling; is appalled that around a half million whales, dolphins and porpoises have been cruelly slaughtered in Japanese waters during the whaling ban alone; is alarmed that dolphin and porpoise meat is sold for public consumption and included in school lunches despite being contaminated with mercury and other toxins at levels exceeding public health safety limits; is further concerned that the cruel dolphin hunts are driving some populations to extinction and are partly motivated by the commercial sale of some animals to aquaria outside of Japan; and calls on the Prime Minister to make the strongest possible representations to the Japanese Government and Prime Minister calling on them to ban the sale of contaminated whale and dolphin products, abide by the international ban on commercial whaling and stop all dolphin, porpoise and other small cetacean hunts immediately.

Sponsored by:
Sir Tony Cunningham (Labour)