Greenpeace marches against whaling

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, May 28 (UPI) -- Japan has asked the International Whaling Commission, which was meeting in Alaska Monday, to lift a ban on commercial whaling.

Japanese delegates have said they doubt the proposal will get the 75 percent support it needs from commission delegates, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

As delegates gathered at an Anchorage hotel for the commission's first meeting in Alaska Sunday, hundreds of people marched in an anti-commercial whaling parade sponsored by the environmental group Greenpeace.

"A world without whales is going to be a world that's not fun to live in," said George Pletnikoff of Greenpeace, the Daily News reported. "Whales are not a consumptive commodity."

The group doesn't oppose subsistence whaling by Alaska Natives.

"We recognize the inalienable rights of Alaska Natives and other indigenous groups," Pletnikoff said. "They have a right to their customary and traditional lifestyles."

The 300 marchers included a few celebrities, including "Heroes" star Hayden Panettiere, pro surfers Dave Rastovich and Howie Cooke, and Stephen Colletti from the MTV reality show "Laguna Beach."

A commission spokeswoman said events like the Greenpeace parade are "fairly common."