(AP / 04-05-10) A proposal announced by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) would, if adopted, endorse the killing of whales in vital feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean for the first time in almost 25 years.
The IWC has had a moratorium on commercial whaling since 1986. However, Iceland, Norway and Japan still conduct commercial whaling. The first two nations have made legal objections to the moratorium and Japan makes use of a loophole in the IWC which allows whales to be killed for “scientific purposes.”
In an effort to resolve the impasse between pro-whaling and pro-conservation nations within the IWC, the Chair of the IWC proposes to give Japan, Norway and Iceland official quotas for commercial whaling for the next 10 years.
If adopted the new proposal would legitimise commercial whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, which was established by the IWC itself in 1994. This region is highly important as it is the main feeding ground of many whale species, such as blue whales, humpback whales and fin whales.
Furthermore the IWC Chair has proposed commercial whaling quotas for whale species listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered, such as fin whales or ser whales.
Wendy Elliott, Species Program manager, WWF-International, says that “The Southern Ocean is the whale equivalent of a restaurant or supermarket. Some whales feed exclusively in the Southern Ocean – not eating at all during the winter months when they travel up to tropical waters. If there is one place on earth where whales should have full protection, it is the Southern Ocean. Allowing commercial whaling in an area where whales are so vulnerable goes against all logic.”
According to the biologist “the proposed quotas are not set using the IWC’s own scientific methods, but are a result of political bargaining which has little if anything to do with the whales’ themselves.” And she adds that “Setting quotas for commercial whaling based on politics not science would be a step backwards for IWC.”
The positive aspects of the proposal include increased efforts to secure the recovery of depleted whale populations, action on critical conservation threats facing whales such as bycatch and climate change, and improved governance and compliance with IWC rules in all the member countries.
The members of the IWC will decide whether to adopt the proposal at its next annual meeting in Agadair, Morocco. WWF calls on all countries attending the IWC meeting to put science and responsible management back at the forefront of IWC decision making.
