Too much to whalers and not enough to conservation in IWC proposals on Japanese whaling: WWF

Gland, Switzerland – Two “compromise packages” to end the deadlock on so-called scientific whaling are too much of a compromise according to WWF.

The packages, announced today by IWC Chairman William Hogarth, would either phase out Japan’s scientific whaling programme in the Southern Ocean in exchange for Japan being allowed to take a unspecified number of minke whales off its coast in the North Pacific or would allow Japan’s scientific whaling programme to continue in the Southern Ocean if it adheres to annual limits set by the IWC’s Scientific Committee.

“WWF is glad to see the IWC taking steps toward ending the deadlock on commercial whaling, and to ending commercial whaling under the guise of science once and for all, but these compromise packages give too much to the whalers and not enough to whale conservation,” said Dr. Susan Lieberman, director of WWF International’s Species Programme.

“What is needed is a plan to put an immediate halt to all scientific whaling, which simply has no place in the 21st Century,” added Lieberman.

The package makes no mention of other whaling nations Iceland and Norway, which whale under objection to the IWC’s commercial whaling moratorium. Iceland recently announced a quota of 100 fin whales – an endangered species – which is a dramatic increase its original self-assigned quota of nine. They also almost doubled their quota of minke whales.

“No package will heal the IWC if it deals exclusively with one whaling nation and ignores the rest,” added Lieberman. “The world’s whales will not be saved until all governments commit to their conservation together. It is time to bring the IWC into the 21st century—as a whale conservation organization”

The current membership of the IWC is approximately evenly divided between whaling and non-whaling nations, resulting in a political deadlock which makes it impossible to secure the ¾ majority of votes needed to make major changes such as putting an end to Japan’s scientific whaling.