Whaling Wars, Nations to Vote on Resuming Commercial Whaling

May 6, 2010
Sarah Curran-Ragan

Whale in the Southern Ocean - Sarah Curran-Ragan

In June the International Whaling Commission meet to decide whether it's time to resume commercial whaling. And they say it's for the sake of the whales.

Its been nearly 25 years since the world's greatest conservation success story was achieved. The 1986 moratorium on whaling ended 2 centuries of the most inhumane and appalling slaughter humans have inflicted upon the natural world. It is surely our most tragic legacy. In June the 88 members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meet to decide whether it’s time to start the slaughter once more.

Whales Species Have a Slow Road to Recovery

Years of commercial whaling brought many whale populations and species to the brink of collapse. The 1986 ban, although hotly contested by whaling nations, has allowed their slow march back to something like reasonable biologically viable populations. Japan, the world’s leading whaling nation along with Norway and Iceland, have very publically continued whaling under a legal loophole, citing scientific research, or through leaving the IWC citing “objections”. Together Japan Norway and Iceland kill around 1600 whales a year.

On the 22nd of April the IWC unveiled the 10 year plan as a way, they say, to conserve and manage whaling. The plan has Japan, Iceland and Norway who currently set their own catch quotas, now being overseen by an IWC set catch quota. The IWC say that several thousand less whales will be caught each year this way. Detractors point out that enforcement for a total ban is currently impossible, what would stop these countries continuing to flout the IWC and catch more whales but under a legitimised whaling plan.

Vice Chair of the IWC, Anthony Liverpool says “it represents an historic shift, rather than the mistrust and confrontation that have led to little progress, we now have an opportunity to reconcile our differences and strengthen actions related to the shared goal of maintaining healthy whale population and recovering deleted stocks. He goes on. “We could put the focus where it belongs, improving the conservation of whales and managing whaling.”

A "Peace Plan" for Whales or Whalers?

The so called whaling “Peace Plan” says that it has retained the moratorium on commercial whaling. However, it not only now legitimises catch quotas, say anti whaling groups; it also suspends the moratorium for ten years. It further suspends special permits required to use scientific whaling and objections that also allow uncontrolled whaling.

The new plan is dressed with some trimmings to ensure conservation acceptance; such as creating a South Atlantic Whale’s sanctuary, but it will also allow whaling legitimately in the South Ocean Whale Sanctuary where Japan has been hunting illegally since 1996 say conservation groups. “If there is one place on Earth where whales should have full protection, it’s the Southern Ocean” says Species Program manager of WWF Wendy Elliot “Allowing commercial whaling in an area where whales are so vulnerable goes against all logic”, she adds.

As yet, it remains unclear how these quotas have been set and using what scientific information to assess the level target species can actually sustain in the face of increasing pressures from pollution, over fishing and climate change. “Setting quotas for commercial whaling based on politics not science would be a step backwards for the IWC” Elliot says. To add insult to injury for the anti whaling nations, the IWC is also proposing commercial whaling quotas for species listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Fin and Sei whales are both included in the new catch quotas. Both species were severely depleted by previous whaling and have yet, say conservation groups, to fully recover.

Anti Whaling Groups Reject Proposal

Pro whalers have been accused of recruiting nations to provide votes at IWC, often nations with no historic interest in whaling themselves. The proposal also, say conservation groups, does not prevent other countries interested in whaling taking them for so called scientific research or under objections. South Korea has already expressed an interest in whaling activities. The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society say that there is no long term data to ensure sustainability of whaling or answer whether current stocks can take the pressure on top of other existing stresses such as pollution and the effects of climate change.

While the proposal has been rejected by anti whaling groups they have recognised its positive points, such as increased efforts to secure the recovery of depleted whale populations, action on critical conservation threats and improved governance and compliance internationally.

There has been an unexpected response with many anti whaling nations initially supporting the “Peace Plan”. Pressure from anti whaling groups though, looks set to turn public opinion and put pressure on governments to reject it.

The proposal will be voted for in June at the annual IWC meeting in Morocco.