We are still unclear about what's in the water. We don't know the potential impact on food resources. Long-term assessments are needed.

Every penny donated went for what it was intended—food, water and cleaning supplies. We always had someone go with us to watch when we bought something, and Kathy put in a lot of her own money, too.

Any major change to convention regulations requires a three-fourths vote. Japan has a quarter block over the minority on most issues. That creates an uphill hurdle when it comes to increasing or decreasing protection for whales.

Signed in the 1940s, the Convention on Whaling is a gentleman's agreement without enforcement provisions. That would be fine if Japan knew how to act like a gentleman.

It takes a great deal of effort to either add or subtract a species from listing.

If this hunt goes through, there will be other requests coming to the Russian government to hunt belugas. Before long we could have a hunt of a couple thousand Belugas. Once you start commercial whaling in any species, you have to make sure all of the bells and whistles are in place, that all the regulations are there from A to Z. Every time we have had a commercial hunt of whales there has been over-exploitation.