The Global Whale Program Manager for IFAW Kicks off Cross-Country Awareness Campaign to Stop Commercial Whaling

The Global Whale Program Manager for IFAW (The International Fund for Animal Welfare) Kicks off Cross-Country Awareness Campaign to Stop Commercial Whaling! The cause of whale protection has never been more urgent. Worldwide, whales face endangerment for reasons ranging from habitat destruction, to global warming, to efforts by Japan, Norway, and Iceland to expand commercial whaling and reopen the international trade of whale meat. In an attempt to change the fate of whales worldwide, IFAW is intensifying its twenty-five year global campaign to protect whales. Famed airbrush artist J?rek teamed up with Cape Air, the largest independent regional airline in the United States, based in Hyannis, MA, and IFAW, to paint a plane with a mural of humpback whales. This month the plane will be making stops across the United States as it travels to the 2007 International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Patrick Ramage and his 12 year-old-son Henry, will speak to us from the Cape Air hangar where the whale plane prepared for its cross country excursion. He discusses IFAWs efforts to save the whales and what people at home can do. Consider these statistics: * More than 30,000 whales have been slaughtered for commercial purposes since the global ban on commercial whaling in 1986 * 50 humpback whales renowned for their acrobatic displays and beautiful songs may be killed by the Government of Japans whaling fleet this year * More than 65% of a critically endangered whale species have scars from entanglement in fishing gear Scientists now predict that rising sea temperatures will cause ocean currents to shift and acidity levels to rise. These changes could significantly impact food sources, migratory paths, and breeding grounds of whales. More about Patrick Ramage: Global Whale Program Manager: Patrick leads IFAWs efforts worldwide to protect whales from threats such as commercial whaling, habitat destruction, ocean noise, ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and global warming, and to promote solutions such as non-lethal whale research, and responsible whale watching that supports both animals and people. Patrick has been an NGO delegate to eight IWC meetings since 1997.