School children from across the School children from across the
The two day event at the Alton Towers Resort, saw delegates from nine schools across the
The event, co-hosted by WDCS and Sea Life, started with a tour of new Sea Life attraction Sharkbait Reef and delegates then gathered around a pagoda style Japanese lantern shrine to reflect on the killing of over 40,000 whales since 1984 - in spite of an international whaling ban agreed that year.
"Whales have continued to be killed for so-called scientific research, to make money and for subsistence reasons," said
"The choice of a Japanese shrine was deliberate, because
The death toll includes more than 430 Sperm, 600 Fin, 560 Sei, 2,500 Gray, 40 Humpback, 33,000 Minke, 1,000 Bowhead and 1,000 Brydes whales.
After presenting the results of their own impressive research projects into the different aspects of whaling and whale biology, the young delegates were then cast in the roles of some of the key national delegations to the annual International Whaling Commission (IWC).
"The delegates had to consider the issue from the perspective of the pro-whaling nations such as
"When all the talking was done the aim was to agree a resolution that the whole Conference could then vote on."
"WDCS is represented at the IWC each year, and it is hoped that some of the arguments and views expressed by these youngsters will help us to develop our arguments and lend extra weight to what we do in that important forum," Simmonds concluded.
Sea Life and WDCS joined forces earlier this year to oppose moves for a return of legalised whaling. Visitors to the 31-strong global Sea Life network have signed more than 100,000 anti-whaling postcards which will be delivered to the EU next year.