IWC meeting ends

The recent International Whaling Commission, held in Jersey ended its four day session with a walkout by pro-whaling nations in order to block a vote on the creation of a new sanctuary. In other words, ended true to form. Despite a moratorium, large scale hunting will continue with over 30,000 whales already having been killed since 1986.

One area of achievement was the adoption by consensus of a British plan to discourage influence peddling by changing the way member nations pay their dues. Under the old rules, members could pay subscription fees by cash or cheque, Japan have in the past been accused of using cash and development aid to "buy" votes from Caribbean and African nations. Such payments must now be made by bank transfer, as is done in other international organisations so it’s a small step forward. Progress was also made towards recognising the conservation status of dozens of smaller cetaceans and not just the 15 large whales giant currently covered by the IWC. Some whale populations are increasing in the right direction, at a pace of five to 10 percent per year.

Japan led a walk out of pro-whaling nations to insure that a vote to create a sanctuary in the South Atlantic, spearheaded by Brazil and Argentina would fail to reach the percentage needed. For IWC meetings to be legally constituted in the case of a proposal like this, representatives of at least half of all IWC members states have to be present and to be approved, 75 percent of those present have to vote in favour of it. Currently there are two whale sanctuaries, one in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, and the other in the Indian Ocean. Japan carries out an annual hunt during the southern hemisphere summer in Antarctic waters and said at the IWC meeting they will return next season. Whale species and populations from the Southern Atlantic oceanic basin were amongst t the ones that suffered the most due to commercial whaling on a large scale, fifty-four species live in the waters where Brazil and Argentina are proposing to have the sanctuary.

Since 2008, Icelandic whaling company, operated by Kristján Loftsson, has slaughtered 273 fin whales and exported more than 1,200 tons of whale meat and blubber worth an estimated EUR 12 million, ISK 2 billion) to Japan and has a further 2,500 tons in storage. Japan’s scientific whaling company Kyodo Senpaku is also believed to be involved in distributing Icelandic fin whale products. Last year Norway caught 468 minke whales.