To counter this conciliation by some organizations, and to breathe life back into steadfast opposition to the expansion of whaling, AWI drafted an opening statement that doubled as a sign-on letter. The adoption of the Global Whale Sanctuary as proposed by Australia in 1998, permanently banning all directed takes of whales up to the high-water mark of all seas, with the exception of truly subsistence aboriginal whaling necessary for human survival. The urgent international protection of small cetaceans. The recognition of whale watching, non-invasive research and educational programs as the optimum utilization of whales. We specifically reject the concept that it is possible to conservatively and reliably count wild species of whales accurately enough to allow a directed take.
Any regime based on such a method is fatally flawed.
A plan allowing the intentional killing of whales assumes a certainty as to how many whales there are, the nature and severity of all threats facing whales, and honesty on the part of the whalers reporting their kills. None of these elements exists. The moment cries out for taking stock of the damage we are doing to wild species of whales through toxics, dramatic climate and food regime changes, and the proliferation of loud sounds in the oceans. This is not the time to unleash the harpoons. Japan's actions pose a threat to their survival.