Whaling wars

On the eve of the world's most important conference for whales, those who care about the future of these remarkable animals wait anxiously to see whether pro-whaling countries will be successful in their aim of stripping whales of the protection from hunting they need.
 
At the 2007 meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), held in Anchorage Alaska from 28th to 31st May,  the battle between those who support commercial whaling and those who oppose it is likely to intensify.   

WDCS's Sue Fisher said "Whale conservation currently faces the biggest onslaught since the ban on commercial whaling was put in place.  Not only do pro-whaling countries want to lift the ban on whaling, but they also aim to lift restrictions on international trade in whale products – which, if allowed, would once again fuel an uncontrollable slaughter.” 

For more information on how you can help stop whaling and for our whaling blog go to www.stopbloodywhaling.org
 
 A pro-whaling voting majority? 

Last year, for the first time in over 25 years, pro-whaling nations obtained a voting majority within the IWC.  They used that majority to pass the St Kitts and Nevis Declaration, which states that the IWC’s ban on commercial whaling is no longer required.  It was a huge blow for conservationists around the globe, but  marked a ‘sea-change’ in opinion within the international community on the need to protect some of the world’s most vulnerable species from commercial hunting.

Since the IWC ended last year, a number of new countries have joined or rejoined the IWC in favour of whaling, but more have joined in opposition to it. 
 
They know that if Japan retains its pro-whaling majority at the IWC this year, it will continue to remove the protection that whales currently receive; seeking ways to lift, or undermine the ban on commercial whaling. Japan also plans to blur the boundaries between Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling and commercial whaling and create a whole new category of ‘traditional’ or ‘cultural’ whaling from which it, and several other countries, currently not whaling, could benefit.  If the anti-whaling countries prevail in Anchorage, they must do all they can to assert their majority and to resist these efforts by whalers to erode protection for whales and destroy the greatest measure ever devised to ensure their future – the moratorium on commercial whaling
 
The renewal of Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling quotas
 
Although the IWC imposed a ban on commercial whaling in 1986, it allows certain indigenous peoples to hunt otherwise protected whales to satisfy longstanding cultural and subsistence needs, though  what are called Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (ASW) quotas. 
 
ASW quotas are reviewed and renewed by the IWC every 5 years, and this year they need to be re-authorised by a ¾ majority of the IWC. Amongst the quotas under discussion is a bowhead whale hunt undertaken by the Alaskan Inuit. Alaskan Inuit are allowed to hunt up to 67 bowhead whales a year to meet subsistence needs. Last time the quota was reviewed, Japan has used the USA’s need for this quota to bully it into supporting Japan’s claim that it needed a coastal whaling quota.  The bowhead quota will be key again at this year's meeting.  For its request to be approved, the USA will need the support of three quarters of the IWC’s members, and Japan and its allies hold enough votes to block approval.  The situation is complicated further this year by an announcement from Greenland that it wants to increase its aboriginal quota to include 10 humpback whales a year.
 
Attempts to lift the ban on trade in whale meat
 
This year,  the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) meets immediately after the IWC. CITES defers to the IWC’s conservation measures concerning whales and, consistent with the IWC’s ban on commercial whaling, has banned international commercial trade in whale meat and other products.  WDCS is concerned that Japan will try to manipulate this relationship between the two Conventions and work the unusual timing of the meetings to its advantage.
 
If Japan gains a majority of votes at the IWC meeting, WDCS believes it will use it to tell CITES that IWC supports a resumption of trade in whale meat.