If a picture tells a thousand words, then we will be presenting the world with billions of statements from the surf culture, proclaiming our firm desire to see an end to all killing of Whales and Dolphins. The Visual Petition also presents the unique faces of those who are willing to be known as defenders of the ocean.
As a global culture of water people we have a unique affinity with the ocean and her inhabitants. We are the stewards of our coastlines and the guardians of the waves we love. This petition simply illustrates our collective power to act on those feelings of conservation, ensuring the next generation experiences the joy of surfing with Dolphins and watching the great Whales migrate.
For more in depth information and more ways to take action, go to savejapandolphins.org
"Early 2007 I was shocked to find that none of my surfing friends knew about the mass slaughter of Dolphins and Whales that still takes place every year. Once they were aware of this issue every single surfer I knew said they were willing to do what it takes to stop the genocide of our ocean friends. So, out came the concept of a petition. Generally speaking, surfers are a little different to mainstream society and so 'our' petition would naturally be a little different to most..."
Dave Rastovich
A couple months later the Visual Petition began its journey by shooting the portraits of some of the great icons of our culture. Jack Johnson, Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, Wolfmother, Missy Higgins, Xavier Rudd, Mick Fanning, Ben Harper, Taj Burrow and many more added their names to the growing petition. But they also gave it a face, many faces. An identity to show that all these names on paper belong to people who are passionate about protecting Dolphins and Whales and the ocean they live in.
Parallel to the growth of the petition is the growing awareness that our ocean kin are being wiped out in some areas of the world. Although the end goal of the petition is presenting it to International Whaling Commission delegates at the 2008 meeting in Chile, the journey of education is as important as the destination.
The Visual Petition will continue to expand and serve as a measurement of the surfing worlds involvement in the issue of Whaling and Dolphin kills, affirming that we are not alone in our journey to see Dolphins and Whales respected and protected into the future.
Dave Rastovich
The Visual Petition Statement
I .................................... in solidarity with the global surfing culture acknowledge that this is the 11th hour for our ocean kin. Surfers have a unique bond forged in the waves with marine mammals, and now like no other time we need to be a voice and a force of direct action for our friends of the sea.
As we see the wanton destruction of the worlds last great forests, pollution of the air and the crippling of rivers and waterways, the Whale, wonderous monarch of the sea has become the greatest symbol of the fragility of our mother earth- mother ocean.
Yet as we enter the the 21st century Whales, Dolphins and Seals continue to be under brutal attack. Not only in the Canadian Arctic, Norwegian fjords and Icelandic Seas, but even in the greatest remotest wilderness the Antarctic where despite treaties and declaration of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary Japan has relentlessly escalated its factory ship war on Whale Nation.
This escalation along with the unrelenting slaughter of Dolphins, notably over 20,000 Dolphins annually in Japan waters, means that surfers have drawn a line in the sand. Enough is enough.
I fully believe that we as ocean loving individuals have the power to implement change, I will endeavour to raise this collective power who wish to honour Nature.
Surfing culture has a huge multi media voice, and the global strength of surfers can manifest change and see Whales and Dolphins fully honored and protected into the future.
We will no longer tolerate this attack on the Whales in our shared domain. We will stand up and step in to see an end to the genocide of our beloved Dolphin, the greatest symbol of the freedom and joy of surfing.
Commercial Whaling was banned in 1986, though the whaling nations involved wanted to continue their murderous trade and have since killed an estimated 30,000 Whales since 1986. A clause in the Moratorium allows a self allocated amount of Whales to be killed every year for supposed 'scientific' purposes. The meat is allowed to be sold commercially once they have finished their 'research'.
Despite Dolphins being a part of the Cetacean family they are hunted relentlessly. The numbers killed annually dwarf the number of larger Whales taken each year. In Japan alone there are well over 20, 000 Dolphins 'harvested' each year.
The fishermen claim the Dolphins eat the fish that humans should be eating, they call the Dolphins 'pests'. The Dolphins killed are sold as food despite all recent tests revealing the meat is highly contaminated with Mercury and other heavy metals. Some meat exceeds the advised level of contamination by up to 14 times. Mercury poisoning causes cancer, birth defects, brain damage and in some cases death. It is being given to school children in Japan without any warnings.
The fishermen also capture Dolphins in order to sell them to theme parks. Usually young females who can reproduce in captivity. A live Dolphin can be sold for between $30,000 and $100,000. One Dolphin's worth of meat for consumption is worth $600.
All Cetaceans are in danger of disappearing forever due to human impact. We are responsible for their suffering, though we are also capable of stopping this madness. It is our responsibility to clean the waters that are contaminating Cetaceans and stop the blatant genocide of their species.
