The International Whale Conservation and Protection Study Act of 2009 (H.R. 2455)

H.R. 2455 was introduced on May 18, 2009, by Representative Eni Faleomaveaga (D-AS), with co-sponsors William Delahunt (D-MA), Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI).

Whales are of aesthetic and scientific value to mankind, and are an integral and indispensable part of the marine ecosystem. Today, whales and their habitats face more threats from human activities than ever before, including vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, ocean noise, prey depletion, chemical pollution, offshore industrial development, and escalating threats from climate change including ocean acidification. As whales have a long life span and do not reproduce quickly, they are extremely sensitive to over-exploitation and many whale species remain in peril.

The United States once transformed itself from a whaling nation to a model for whale protection. With the enactment of legislation like the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act, the United States was a pioneer in the conservation of whales. However, there is still need for greater protection. Loopholes in the current legislation, the continued practice of commercial whaling, including that conducted under the guise of ‘science’, and the lack of thorough international cooperation and communication are just a few of the problems keeping many whale stocks from recovering. Once again, it is time for the United States to pilot the effort to save whales from disappearing from the world’s oceans.

The International Whale Conservation and Protection Act of 2009 would promote international efforts to conserve and protect the world’s whales throughout their range, and reassert the United States as a global leader in whale conservation. The Act would strengthen whale conservation and protection efforts of relevant international bodies including the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, the International Whaling Commission, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and the International Maritime Organization.

Specifically H.R. 2455 would:

• reassert United States global leadership in whale conservation and protection and renew US commitment to whale conservation;
• promote international efforts to conserve and protect the world’s whales throughout their ranges;
• conclude a whale protection Agreement with the Government of Canada aimed at coordinating and promoting conservation efforts for whales that migrate through waters of both countries, and pave the way for similar agreements with other countries;
• strengthen whale conservation and protection efforts of relevant international organizations including the United Nations Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, the International Whaling Commission, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the International Maritime Organization;
• ensure that the International Whaling Commission commercial whaling ban is neither lifted or weakened and that the related lethal scientific whaling is ended;
• reduce and, where possible eliminate, sources of human-caused death, injury, harassment and disturbance of the world’s  whales; and,
• initiate, expand and fund research to improve our understanding of the world’s whales including health and reproduction, whale habitats and the impacts of human activities and other threats to whales.