DOLPHIN HUNTING

That this House notes with concern that the Japanese government continues to issue quotas for the slaughter of around 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and whales in its coastal waters each year despite the International Whaling Commission's ban on commercial whaling; is appalled that almost half a million dolphins, porpoises and whales have been cruelly slaughtered in Japanese waters since implementation of the international whaling ban in 1986; is further concerned that the dolphin hunts are driving some populations to extinction; is alarmed at the considerable health concerns arising from high levels of mercury and other toxins found in whale, dolphin and porpoise products that are sold for public consumption, and even included in school lunches in Japan; and urges the Prime Minister to make the strongest possible representations to the new Japanese government calling on it to stop all whale, dolphin and porpoise hunts immediately.