Media release
23 June 2010
Australian Minister for Environment Protection
Peter Garrett and New Zealand Foreign Minister
Murray McCully today released the preliminary
results from a sixweek joint Australian-New
Zealand Antarctic Whale Expedition to the
Southern Ocean earlier this year.
Unveiling the preliminary
report at the International Whaling Commission
meeting in Agadir, Minister Garrett highlighted
the recording of a whale song which has
for the first time been attributed to the
Antarctic minke whale. They also highlighted
the successful use of small vessels deployed
from the New Zealand vessel, the RV Tangaroa.
“This non-lethal research
was the first multilateral project undertaken
as part of the Australian-initiated $14
million Southern Ocean Research Partnership”,
Mr Garrett said.
“The team of 17 scientists
from Australia, New Zealand and France gathered
new information using cutting-edge, non-lethal
techniques, in particular satellite tagging.
“The research was developed
to address the most pressing conservation
science issues for whales in the Southern
Ocean and will improve our understanding
of population structure, distribution, movement
patterns, environmental linkages, and the
ecological role of whales in the Southern
Ocean”, Mr Garrett said.
Mr McCully said “New
Zealand was delighted to provide a proportion
of ship time and to collaborate with Australia
on the first major SORP project. We look
forward to further analysis of the data
collected and in particular its contribution
to our understanding of the migration routes
of the great whales between Pacific Island
breeding grounds and Southern Ocean feeding
grounds”.
“The team also recorded
what we believe to be vocalisations from
the Antarctic minke whale, and also captured
songs from humpback whales which previously
have only been recorded in their breeding
grounds”, Mr Garrett said.
“It is clear from the
techniques employed during this voyage that
it is possible to study whales, and collect
relevant scientific data, without using
lethal means”.
The preliminary scientific
field report details the collection of 64
biopsy skin samples and satellite tagging
of 30 humpback whales on the voyage.
The Australian Government
has invested $32 million in non-lethal whale
research including the Southern Ocean Research
Partnership which is the largest endeavour
of its kind in the world and Australia has
extended an invitation for all member nations
of the IWC to participate. New Zealand provided
the RV Tangaroa for this voyage.
“As we unveil these
important findings I again call on all member
nations of the IWC to join us in our efforts
to better understand whales and other cetaceans
without killing them.”
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Progress made at the
International Whaling Commission
Media release
28 June 2010
Environment Protection Minister, Peter Garrett,
said today the door was now open for the
International Whaling Commission to grasp
a unique opportunity for genuine renewal
and reform following last week’s meeting
in Morocco.
Minister Garrett said
he welcomed the outcomes of the meeting,
which made progress on conservation initiatives
and importantly did not proceed with a proposal
by the Chair which would have ended the
moratorium on commercial whaling.
“Australia faced a number
of significant challenges as we headed into
last week’s IWC meeting including the need
to ensure that the moratorium on commercial
whaling was retained and to ensure that
we continued to advance our strong reform
agenda.
“I am pleased that the
Australian delegation which I led had the
opportunity to make its views heard and
that the Commission took some important
steps towards renewing itself as a conservation-focused
organisation,” Mr Garrett said.
“It is now crucial that
the IWC does not lose momentum and uses
the coming months to focus on practical
activities on which member countries can
work constructively.
“In part thanks to Australia’s
leadership, very good progress has been
made over the past 12 months in the development
of the IWC’s first whale conservation management
plans, in delivering support for whale watching
operations worldwide and in the implementation
of a research agenda focused on non-lethal
scientific research.
“Australia has already
pointed a way forward on these issues through
its work with the Southern Ocean non-lethal
whale research partnership.
“It also provided significant
funding support of $500,000 last year for
conservation management plans.
“We will continue to
work closely with other conservation-minded
countries to finalise regional whale conservation
management plans for some of the world’s
most threatened whale species, including
South American southern right whales and
western gray whales.
“I encourage other countries
to join us in this important work.
“We are also exploring
a joint Australia-South Africa collaboration
for the second Southern Ocean voyage under
the Southern Ocean Research Partnership.
A successful six week joint Australian-New
Zealand Antarctic Whale Expedition to the
Southern Ocean took place earlier this year.
“The IWC also needs
to move quickly to review and improve its
rules and procedures to ensure that they
are brought in to line with contemporary
governance standards, following acceptance
of Australia’s push for the Commission to
undertake a stocktake in these areas.
”Australia’s vision
for the IWC, outlined in our nine-point
proposal released in February is very clear.
“We want to see an IWC
that will not only ensure the protection
of whales into the future, but will also
create a modern, scientific and conservation-based
organisation.
“Support for Australia’s
objective of ending whaling in IWC-approved
whale sanctuaries sends a strong message
that people around the world don’t want
to see whaling in the Southern Ocean,” Mr
Garrett said.
