For the Whales

Actress Keisha Castle-Hughes, 19, has joined the Save the Whales Campaign and is urging the New Zealand government to reject Japan’s proposal to resume commercial whaling in its waters before a June 22 International Whaling Commission meeting. She said the proposal would effectively lift the IWC’s moratorium on commercial whaling, “opening the floodgates for this cruel industry to grow”. “Many governments believe that this could act as leverage to control Japan’s so-called ‘scientific’ whaling,” Castle-Hughes said. “Unfortunately, this is not the case. In fact, it could not guarantee a reduction in the number of whales killed by Japan, Norway or Iceland.” Castle-Hughes next appears in Niki Caro’s The Vintner’s Luck as the vintner’s wife Celeste, which will be released in New Zealand this October. At 11, she was the youngest female ever nominated for a best actress Oscar for her performance in Whale Rider.