While politicians and bureaucrats talk, activists in Germany presented evidence of environmental crime at the Brandenburg Gate.
They set out 17 dead whales and dolphins, which were collected in the last weeks along European coasts. Why 17? It’s the number of dolphins and whales that die every 30 minutes all year round in our oceans, mainly due to bycatch.
This grisly fact underscores the need for four things:
-New thinking in fishery policy in order to minimize bycatch
-A network of protected areas for our oceans
-The International Whaling Commission meeting next week in Alaska needs to deal with all threats to all species of whales and dolphins. In some cases, even governments which support whale conservation at the IWC turn a blind eye to whale deaths being caused by their own policies.
–Maintenance of the moratorium on commercial whaling to counter the wider environmental pressure on these animals and our seas.
Want to make a statement with people all over the world? Wear a blue t-shirt and join the Big Blue March this Sunday, May 27th!!!