IWC Concludes Inconclusively
The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission has just concluded with mixed results. Under the auspices of the IWC, an international moratorium on commercial whaling has been in place since 1986. Many people are aware that a few nations, including Japan, Norway and Iceland, have continued to hunt whales. While much of the debates centres on these nations, particularly Japan, less well known is that continued hunting of whales takes place in many other nations as well, including the United States, where next year’s IWC meeting will be held, Russia, Greenland, Grenada, Dominica, St. Lucia and Canada.
Over the past 20 years, the debate on whether to continue the international ban on commercial whaling has grown, with anti-whaling sentiment becoming largely entrenched in the public mindset, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. Nations in favour of adopting limited whaling, however, have continued their efforts to demonstrate that certain species of whales have sufficiently healthy populations to sustain controlled hunting.
The debate grew particularly heated at last year’s IWC meeting in Korea, where the pro-whaling nations came close to winning their first majority vote, and this year, they’ve done just that. Out of three major issues tabled at the IWC, two were voted down by the anti-whaling IWC members, while one resolution, which essentially states that the 1986 moratorium is no longer necessary, was passed by a narrow majority. Read the text of the resolution here
With this historic victory for the pro-whaling camp, there’s no doubt that efforts by both sides will be stepped up in preparation for next year. Environmental groups have already made known their frustration and anger, and political implications are reverberating around the world.
Worth considering are that most polls show that the Japanese public is either opposed to or indifferent to the practice of whaling, and that some in the scientific community think there may be sufficient evidence that sustainable whaling is possible. Some traditionally anti-whaling governments appear poised for compromise, while anti-whaling NGOs appear firmly entrenched against the resumption of any commercial whaling.
What do you think? Browse through some of the linked articles, or do a quick search on Google News with the term “whaling” for more views. Then let us know your opinion via our online poll.