Save the Whales Again!

Save the Whales Again! Campaign Spokesperson Hayden Panettiere applauds President Obama for condemning  Iceland’s Whaling

Hollywood, CA (July 21, 2011) The United States Government has certified Iceland for its commercial whale hunts stating that Iceland’s disregard for the global moratorium on commercial whaling is unacceptable. Iceland’s annual quota of 150 fin whales is over 3 times higher than the International Whaling Commission’s scientific committee recommendations and in the last two years Iceland has killed 273 endangered fin whales while illegally exporting the fin whale meat to Japan.

The Obama Administration is citing Iceland under a domestic law called the Pelly Amendment that allows the president to act against foreign countries who defy international conservation laws and treaties.

“We commend President Obama and his administration for taking this strong action against Iceland and its barbaric whaling industry…” said Hayden Panettiere, international spokesperson for the Save the Whales Again! Campaign and The Whaleman Foundation, “and we urge the President to take similar action against Japan and Norway as well!”

Iceland, Norway, and Japan are the only three nations in the world that continue to whale commercially in 21^st century.  Norway has continued to whale commercially since 1986 since the moratorium went into affect. Japan resumed commercial whaling in 1987 under the guise of “scientific research” while Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006.

“When Hayden and I met with President Obama on the campaign trail back in January 2008, he said if he were elected president, he would take action against the whaling nations.” said Jeff Pantukhoff, founder of The Whaleman Foundation and “Save the Whales Again!” Campaign. “We thank the President for keeping his word and taking this first bold step and we look forward to more bold moves from his administration to end commercial whaling once and for all!”