01 Jun 2007 - Anchorage,
Alaska – The 59th annual meeting of the
International Whaling Commission (IWC) ended
today with political wrangling, preventing
significant developments for whale conservation.
“The meeting marked some advances for whales
but they in no way match the level of threats
facing the world’s whales, dolphins and
porpoises today,” said Gordon Shepherd,
director of international policy for WWF
International.
“Governments must get serious about establishing
an organization capable of dealing with
the real problems these species face.”
The most dramatic moment came at the end
of the meeting when the government of Japan,
after numerous delays, withdrew its proposal
for a quota of minke whales due to obvious
lack of support, and stated its possible
intention to leave the IWC.
This threat, and its refusal to participate
in a number of votes, contradicts its stated
intention to turn the IWC into a constructive
and effective organization.
“As governments disagree on the same issues
over and over again, more and more whales
are being killed by governments exploiting
loopholes in the moratorium against commercial
whaling," said Wendy Elliott, deputy
director of WWF's Global Species Programme.
"This degrades the entire spirit of
the convention. Time is running out for
these species and for the IWC.”
Strong statements were made against a proposal
by the US government to lease an area of
critical habitat for the world’s most endangered
whale population — the eastern North Pacific
right whale — for oil and gas development.
“Governments like the US that support whale
conservation at the IWC must be consistent
," Elliot continued. "It is critical
that the US reinstates the moratorium on
oil and gas leasing in the habitat of the
eastern North Pacific right whale."
Positive steps for whales during the meeting,
however, included the IWC’s Scientific Committee
committing to hold a workshop on climate
change, an accelerating threat to whales,
dolphins and porpoises.
The IWC also adopted a resolution by consensus
urging strong action to save the critically
endangered vaquita porpoise in Mexico. This
marks the first time a conservation resolution
on a small cetacean was passed by consensus.
"The vaquita resolution demonstrates
that the IWC can deal with conservation,"
Elliot said. "This organization obviously
has the potential to help whales. Now is
the time to use it.”
END NOTES:
• Bristol Bay, Alaska, contains critical
habitat for the eastern North Pacific right
whale, the most endangered whale population
in the world, as well as 15 other cetacean
species such as the endangered bowhead,
blue, fin, sei, humpback and sperm whales.
• Five-year quotas for aboriginal subsistence
whaling for the US, Russia and St. Vincent
and the Grenadines passed by consensus.
A quota for Greenland passed by vote with
some governments expressing opposition.
Greenland requested increased numbers and
quotas for two new species – bowhead and
humphead whales. These quotas would be in
addition to Greenland’s other small whale
hunts, many of which are unsustainable and
all but two are entirely unregulated.
