Japan’s whaling fleet headed out to sea last weekend with instructions to kill up to a thousand whales. For the first time in 40 years, humpback whales are on the hitlist, along with minke and fin whales. The international community is outraged, with the European Commission condemning the action, and the Australian Foreign Minister stating there was no evidence of Japan producing any data from its research. With demand for whale meat low, much of the catch ends up in freezers, and the government is pushing to include whale meat in school lunches in an attempt to revive the “tradition” of whale hunting. From Time Magazine:

“Whales are just as important, and no more special, than any other fish,” says Japan Fisheries Agency spokesperson Hideki Moronuki, maintaining Japan’s long-held position that marine mammals should get no special treatment for being warm-blooded.

Does it bother you that the fisheries spokesperson doesn’t realize that whales aren’t fish? Sign the petition by the International Fund for Animal Welfare to tell Japanese Ambassador Ryozo Kato to stop killing whales.