US to bless whaling in Southern Ocean Sanctuary

This can't be true?

Via The Independent:
The moratorium on commercial whaling, one of the environmental movement's greatest achievements, looks likely to be swept away this summer by a new international deal being negotiated behind closed doors. The new arrangement would legitimise the whaling activities of the three countries which have continued to hunt whales in defiance of the ban – Japan, Norway and Iceland – and would allow commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary set up by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1994.

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Maybe they can have a good old-fashioned whale roast?

Japan celebrates defeat of bluefin tuna trade ban Read more!

H.R. 3650: HAB legislation passed in the House

After failing on March 9 to reach the 2/3 majority required to pass the bill under suspension.H.R. 3650, The Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2009 passed by a simple majority
on March 12.

According to GovTrack.us The breakdown of the vote was:

                               
                                Dem     Rep     Ind 
Yea:            251   (58%)     213     38      0
Nay:            103   (24%)      69      7      0
Present:        0     (0%)        0      0      0
Not Voting:     76    (18%)      34     42      0
Required:  Simple Majority of 354 votes (=178 votes)

See the full breakdown of the vote at the Clerk of the House web site and GovTrack

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H.R. 3650: HAB legislation fails in the House

H.R. 3650, The Harmful Algal Blooms and Hypoxia Research and Control Amendments Act of 2009 failed to reach the 2/3 majority required to pass it under suspension.

According to GovTrack.us The breakdown of the vote was:

                               
                       Dem Rep  Ind 
Yea:         263 (61%) 231  32  0
Nay:         142 (33%)   8 134  0
Present:       0 (0%)    0   0  0
Not Voting:   25 (6%)   14  11  0
Required:  2/3 of 405 votes (=270 votes)

See the full breakdown of the vote at the Clerk of the House web site and GovTrack

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U.S. backs international trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna

Via the Washington Post:

The U.S. government announced Wednesday that it supports prohibiting international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna, a move that could lead to the most sweeping trade restrictions ever imposed on the highly prized fish.

The Obama administration's decision to back Monaco's proposal "could be a real game changer for the species," said Susan Lieberman, director of international policy at the Pew Environment Group. "Other governments can either join Monaco and the United States in boldly supporting the conservation of bluefin tuna, sharks and other marine species, or they can yield to commercial fishing interests that focus more on short-term profits than a sustainable future for both fish and local fishing communities."

Read the entire story here.
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