The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has passed a resolution condemning Japan’s scientific hunting programme in the Antarctic (which recently doubled to target over 900 minke and 50 endangered fin whales a year and plans to add 50 humpbacks later this year) at its 59th meeting in Anchorage, Alaska.
Most of the pro-whaling bloc abstained from the vote, leading to a majority of 40 to two. After securing a narrow majority of members for last year's meeting – the first majority in 20 years – pro-whaling countries again found themselves in the minority, and lost a number of key votes.
The resolution recalls that the IWC has repeatedly called on Japan to desist from issuing permits to conduct lethal research on whales that are protected from commercial whaling; notes that the research conducted during its last phase did not meet any of its goals; does not meet any critically important research needs and could have been conducted by non-lethal means anyway.
Sue Fisher of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) said, “WDCS commends the IWC for adopting this resolution but urges the parties to tell it like it really is – stop being polite.”
IWC members are permitted to hunt whales for scientific research, but anti-whaling countries consider Japan catching nearly 1,000 whales each year as going to far.
Japan's priority for the meeting was to secure a small commercial catch of minke whales for four of its coastal communities with a history and culture of whaling.
Priority issue
Japan had offered in return to consider reviewing its plan to include humpback whales, a priority issue for New Zealand and Australia, in its Antarctic hunting programme which it conducts in the name of scientific research. But Joji Morishita, Japan's alternate (deputy) whaling commissioner is reported to have suggested that after Australia's and New Zealand's refusal to talk about a compromise, the humpback hunt would go ahead, though possibly with some unspecified revisions.
According to reports, Japan is now considering walking away from the IWC and setting up a rival organisation – a statement similar to others it has made in previous years.
Japan has also withdrawn its bid to host the 2009 IWC meeting in Yokohama.
Another outcome of the meeting was the increase to Greenland's Inuit communities' catch.
On behalf of Greenland, Denmark had submitted a proposal for Greenland's Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling (ASW) quota to be renewed, with more animals being hunted and two new species added.
Greenland sought to increase its hunt from 175 to 200 minke whales; to increase the fin whale hunt from 10 to 19 per year; and to add 10 humpbacks per year and two bowhead whales (neither of which have been hunted in Greenland for decades).
Greenland had argued that, due to an increase in population, 670 tonnes (and in some documents 740 tonnes) of whale meat are now needed. However, the Greenland population is said to actually be declining.
WDCS has said that Greenland fails to report 4,000 small cetaceans a year which goes towards meeting its claimed need for whale meat.
However, by a narrow majority, the meeting approved a small increase in the minke catch and the inclusion of bowhead whales for the first time (with restrictions).
ASW quotas for the inuit peoples of Russia and Alaska, USA were also renewed.
