WASHINGTON - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, today commended President Obama for taking actions to help the United States work with the Government of Iceland to cease permitting commercial whaling, consistent with the moratorium of the International Whaling Commission. Just last week, Rep. Markey, together with 36 other Representatives, sent a letter to the president asking him to employ the full breadth of tools available to him to send a clear signal to Iceland's commercial whaling interests of the negative consequences of this activity.
That letter can be found HERE.
"I applaud the President for acting on behalf of the American public, who overwhelmingly oppose the commercial exploitation of these magnificent whales, which are vital components of our marine ecosystems," said Rep. Markey. "We have long left the days of using whale oil to light up the night, and should reject the dark, antiquated practice of slaughtering these creatures."
Whale watching is a multi-million dollar industry. For example, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it is estimated that more than 1.2 million passengers participated in whale watching tours in New England in 2000, generating annual total direct sales of more than $30 million to the region and $24 million to Massachusetts alone.
