whales

(IWC) International Whaling Commission

WWF is deeply disappointed that the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has failed to take any steps to bring unregulated whaling under international control.

At the IWC's 53rd meeting in London from 23-27 July, Japan, Norway and other pro-whaling nations succeeded in blocking resolutions that would have created two new sanctuaries for whales - one in the South Pacific and one in the South Atlantic.

A proposal to set up a system of safeguards that would have retained the current moratorium on commercial whaling and set all catch quotas to zero was also defeated. With the admission into the IWC of increasing numbers of countries beholden to Japan comes the serious possibility that the pro-commercial whalers will gain enough votes to increase their potential to catch whales.

"This meeting has been bad for whale conservation," said Cassandra Phillips, WWF's whale expert. "The South Pacific and the South Atlantic sanctuary proposals were both defeated. Countries could not even agree to put forward a proposal that established a precautionary safety net for any whaling that may occur in the future, while leaving the moratorium firmly in place."

Over the past two years, the number of pro-whaling votes has increased by about 50 per cent, a trend that is expected to continue in the next year. It is vital that the anti-commercial whaling countries develop a consensus and put forward serious proposals that strengthen whale conservation and bring current whaling under international control.

Without such proposals, and some serious progress at the next IWC meeting in May 2002, it is possible that the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) may decide to reopen the international trade in whalemeat without a management scheme being in place. This could open the floodgates to a resumption of whaling on a scale that has not been seen for many years.

"The anti-whaling countries must get their act together and realise that unless they develop proposals getting commercial whaling under control, and ensure they are accepted by the IWC, they will share some of the blame for unsustainable large-scale whaling resuming. They need to take a serious look at how to get the best possible deal for whales and make sure that at the next meeting they can pull it off. Otherwise they will be putting the future of the world's whales back in the hands of the whalers," Cassandra Phillips added.

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