IWC meeting update

Behind closed doors, members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) have been discussing a proposal that would give Japan the right to hunt whales in its coastal waters. William Hogarth, the chairperson of the IWC and US delegate to the body, made the proposal in closed-door weekend talks in Hawaii.

IWC officials say the controversial proposal is a compromise measure, as Japan would also have to agree to limit its hunts in the Southern Ocean, but opponents say it amounts to an official sanction of Japan’s whale hunts and that the proposal is part of a dangerous drift towards commercial whaling in the 21st century. However, Hogarth argue’s that a compromise is necessary to keep Japan from withdrawing from the commission. The draft proposal doesn’t specify how many whales could be killed under such a plan. Japan has begun taking more whales in recent years under the science designation, killing 872 in 2007, compared with 540 in 1997.