1 November
2006 - Australia will join with its anti-whaling
allies to express its strong opposition to Iceland’s
decision to resume commercial whaling.
Australia will join forces with
26 other countries to make a formal protest -
called a ‘demarche’ - to Iceland in Reyjavik at
10am today.
Senator Campbell said the message
calls upon Iceland to respect the internationally
agreed moratorium on whaling and halt its commercial
whaling operations.
“Iceland has shown a flagrant
disregard for international obligations by announcing
its intention to kill 30 minke and nine fin whales
for commercial purposes,” Senator Campbell said.
“In addition to Iceland’s plans
to resume commercial whaling, including the endangered
fin species, Iceland also catches minke whales
under the guise of scientific research.
“The Australian Government strongly
opposes Iceland’s so-called “scientific whaling”
programme.
“Deliberately targeting an endangered
species simply does not make sense. To resume
hunting of fin whales now will have a devastating
impact on an already struggling population that
has still not recovered from the plundering days
prior to the moratorium.”
Iceland re-joined the IWC in
2002 with a ‘reservation’ to the moratorium; that
under no circumstances would commercial whaling
resume without a sound scientific basis, and an
effective management and enforcement scheme. At
the time Australia and 17 other pro-conservation
countries formally registered an objection to
Iceland’s reservation.
“For Iceland to turn its back
on the IWC so easily shows a blatant disrespect
for international obligations.
“We are urging the Icelandic government to reconsider
its position and reverse this unjustified, inexplicable
and unnecessary decision and to abandon its current
operations,” Senator Campbell said.
Note to the media: A démarche
is a formal diplomatic representation of one government’s
official position, views, or wishes on a given
subject to an appropriate official in another
government or international organization. Demarches
seek to persuade, inform, or gather information
from a foreign government.
Rob Broadfield
Aide memoire
Joint demarche by Argentina, Australia, Austria,
Belgium, Brazil, Chile, The Czech Republic, The
European Commission, Finland, France, Germany,
Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco,
The Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, The Slovak
Republic, Spain, Sweden, The United Kingdom, and
The United States of America
We, the Governments of Argentina,
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, The
Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Monaco, The
Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, The Slovak
Republic, Spain, Sweden, The United Kingdom and
The United States of America, together with The
European Commission are extremely disappointed
that the Icelandic Government has decided to resume
commercial whaling in Icelandic waters, in spite
of the internationally agreed moratorium.
Furthermore, we are very concerned
that Iceland is considering the taking of nine
fin whales, which have been classified as 'Endangered'
on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and
are listed under CITES Appendix I, together with
thirty common minke whales. We do not agree with
this proposed action, adding as it does to the
current catches of common minke whales under the
research plan, which Iceland has been implementing
since 2003.
At the 22nd Animals Committee
meeting of CITES - the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora - which took place in Peru, only last July,
Iceland's proposed inclusion of the central stock
of North Atlantic fin whales in the periodic review
was agreed. Nevertheless, the Icelandic Ministry
of Fisheries has now set its own catch limits,
without awaiting the outcome of this review.
Similarly, Iceland has set its
quota using criteria that have not been presented
to or reviewed and approved by the International
Whaling Commission's (IWC) Scientific Committee.
It deeply concerns us that the Icelandic Government
awards itself a quota that has not been approved
according to the applicable international provisions,
before any possible effects on whale populations
have been properly assessed and peer reviewed
by those bodies recognised as competent to manage
whale resources.
We would wish to point to the
significant economic and social benefits which
accrue to Iceland arising from its growing whale-watching
industry and express the view that the decision
to commence commercial whaling could seriously
undermine those benefits. We are of the opinion
that the decision to commence commercial whaling
sends a wrong signal with regard to Iceland's
growing whale watching industry.
We call upon Iceland to respect
the moratorium and halt its commercial whaling
operations. We believe that commercial whaling
quotas determined and prosecuted in the absence
of any agreed management system undermines the
proper functioning of the IWC.
We repeat our countries' opposition
to this operation and urge the Government of Iceland
to reconsider its position and reverse this unnecessary
decision, and to abandon its current operations.
We remind Iceland that 19 countries1 registered
a formal objection with the United States Government
(as the depository country for the instrument
of adherence to the International Convention for
the Regulation of Whaling) to Iceland's Reservation
on commercial whaling when they rejoined the IWC
in 2002.
1 November 2006
1Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Finland,
France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands,
New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, San Marino, Spain,
Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland and the United States of America
