What is the major topic of this speech?

Norway and Japan killed over 1, 000 whales in 1999 and they plan to kill even more. The International Whaling Commission(IWC)has failed to stop the killing and a compromise deal may relax the ban allowing coastal whaling—condemning many thousands more whales to a cruel death. In 1994, the IWC created a whale sanctuary in Antarctic waters and many believed the battle to save the whales had been won. But Japan has ignored the sanctuary and along with Norway continues to defy the whaling ban. As environmental concerns increase, whaling is no longer the issue once was or deserves to be. Consequently, the political will to confront the whalers and enforce the whaling ban has slipped away. Commercial whaling has devastated whale populations worldwide, pushing the entire species to the brink of extinction. There is still great scientific uncertainty about the size and status of remaining whale populations. Whales are facing increasing threats to their survival including increasing toxic pollution, massive over-fishing, entanglement in fishing nets, boat collisions, habitat loss, ozone depletion and climate change. They need to be protected, not hunted.(14)Commercial whaling is appallingly cruel and unnecessary. It is morally indefensible. It should be condemned to history, to a time when sadly we knew no better!