Save the Whales Again! Campaign Spokesperson Hayden Panettiere Applauds President Obama for Condemning Iceland’s Whaling

HOLLYWOOD, California, July 21, 2011 -

The United States Government has certified Iceland for its
commercial whale hunts stating that Iceland’s disregard for the
global moratorium on commercial whaling is unacceptable. Iceland’s
annual quota of 150 fin whales is over 3 times higher than the
International Whaling Commission’s scientific committee
recommendations and in the last two years Iceland has killed 273
endangered fin whales while illegally exporting the fin whale meat
to Japan.

The Obama Administration is citing Iceland under a domestic law
called the Pelly Amendment that allows the president to act against
foreign countries who defy international conservation laws and
treaties.

“We commend President Obama and his administration for taking
this strong action against Iceland and its barbaric whaling
industry…” said Hayden Panettiere, international spokesperson for
the Save the Whales Again! Campaign and The Whaleman Foundation,
“and we urge the President to take similar action against Japan and
Norway as well!”

Iceland, Norway, and Japan are the only three nations in the
world that continue to whale commercially in 21^st
century.  Norway has continued to whale commercially since
1986 since the moratorium went into affect. Japan resumed
commercial whaling in 1987 under the guise of “scientific research”
while Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006.

“When Hayden and I met with President Obama on the campaign
trail back in January 2008, he said if he were elected president,
he would take action against the whaling nations,” said Jeff
Pantukhoff, founder of The Whaleman Foundation and “Save the Whales
Again!” Campaign. “We thank the President for keeping his word and
taking this first bold step and we look forward to more bold moves
from his administration to end commercial whaling once and for
all!”

Save the Whales Again! is a campaign of The Whaleman
Foundation.

href="www.savethewhalesagain.org">www.savethewhalesagain.org

The Whaleman Foundation is a public non-profit oceanic
research, conservation and production organization dedicated to
preserving and protecting dolphins, whales, and our
oceans.

href="www.whaleman.org/">www.whaleman.org

Holly Shakoor +1-424-901-8742, holly.shakoor at 42west.net, or Carrie Gordon, +1-646-278-5670, carrie.gordon at 42west.net, or Jeff Pantukhoff, +1-808-283-4465, whaleman at maui.net