Watch the IFAW Whale Campaign Kickoff Event
	View a recorded version of this morning's media kickoff event and learn about IFAW's national Whale Plane tour!

Dear gomez,

Despite a global ban on commercial whaling, the Government of Japan hunts up to 1,200 whales a year using the same explosive grenade heads employed fifty years ago.

Often, the first blast isn't enough to kill the poor whale.  Whaling ships have been filmed hoisting live whales up the side of their huge industrial ships by the tail, leaving the whale's blow hole underwater.  The helpless whale can only thrash against the side of the ship, desperate for air, until it slowly drowns.

Visit the new StopWhaling.org today to help these magnificent giants

Japan attempts to defend its whaling program by calling it "scientific whaling," using an International Whaling Commission (IWC) loophole that allows for lethal whale research. But the reality is that whale meat obtained from Japan's "research" ends up in fish markets and restaurants. The fact is, you don't need to kill whales to study them.

This May, delegates from around the globe will gather in Anchorage, Alaska to decide the fate of the world's whales.

At this year's IWC meeting in Anchorage we expect to see several new pro-whaling countries brought in by Japan to vote for whaling. A majority of pro-whaling votes at the IWC would be a disaster for whales.

Many people believe that the world's great whales were saved when a ban on commercial whaling was put in place in 1986. But whales face more threats today than during any time in history.

Industrial development within marine habitat is booming. Navy exercises are sweeping the world's oceans with high-intensity sonar, injuring and killing whales. A deadly maze of fishing line is clogging whale habitats and ocean vessels are colliding with some of the world's rarest whales. And global warming now threatens the survival of key whale food sources.

Please visit Stopwhaling.org to learn what you can do now to help prepare for this year's crucial whale meeting.

As we get closer to the IWC meeting at the end of the month, I'll continue to send you updates on how you can help me protect whales from the unnecessary cruelty of whaling.

For the whales,

Fred O' Regan
President and CEO

P.S. Sign up for IFAW text alerts and receive the latest news and urgent action alerts to save whales directly on your mobile phone.