WWF-UK: Hope for whales
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Hope for whales
Monday 10 March 2008
WWF has welcomed signs of a willingness between pro and anti whaling nations to work together to find a way forward at an international meeting in Heathrow, London on 6-8 March.
"I'm detecting a willingness for governments at least to talk," said Dr Susan Lieberman, Director of the Global Species Programme at WWF.
"No-one's going to change anyone's mind; Japan isn't going to suddenly say 'I'm sorry about whaling,' nor are the anti-whaling countries going to say 'we're sorry, we're wrong, we think whaling is great'. But we're seeing a willingness of governments to say 'just a minute - can we work this out?'" she explained.
At the special meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) last week, attended by WWF, participants shared ideas on how to improve and modernise the working of the Commission.
Some whales on the brink
However, formal IWC discussions are still dominated by member countries' differing views on whaling.
There are approximately 2,000 whales still being hunted and killed each year, while some whale populations remain on the brink of extinction.
WWF has called on Japan to stop killing whales under the guise of 'scientific research', urging recognition of the fact that science has progressed significantly since the provision allowing governments to issue lethal research permits was written into the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) over 60 years ago.
Research for improved biological understanding on whales can be performed using non-lethal techniques.
Role of International Whaling Commission
Initiated to manage whale stocks for whaling interests in 1946, WWF believes that the IWC is best placed to now address whales and their conservation as a whole.
In a statement to the meeting, WWF urged contracting governments to look more closely and consistently at the non-whaling threats to whales. These include general threats from habitat degradation and climate change, as well as more specific challenges such as being deafened or displaced by the operations of the oil and gas exploration and development industry, or being caught up and discarded as bycatch by the fishing industry.
Bycatch threat to whales
"The greatest threat to many cetacean species is bycatch, with estimates showing that more than 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises are killed in fishing gear each year," Lieberman said.
"Only through swift and cooperative international action to reduce bycatch will some critically endangered cetacean populations be saved," she added.
WWF's bycatch initiative is highlighting the existence of practical, innovative fishing gear designs to reduce bycatch. WWF's goal is to ensure that viable populations of all cetacean species occupy their historical range, and fulfill their role in maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems.
The International Whaling Commission will be meeting in Chile in June where discussions on the future of the IWC will continue.
"No-one's going to change anyone's mind; Japan isn't going to suddenly say 'I'm sorry about whaling,' nor are the anti-whaling countries going to say 'we're sorry, we're wrong, we think whaling is great'. But we're seeing a willingness of governments to say 'just a minute - can we work this out?'" she explained.
At the special meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) last week, attended by WWF, participants shared ideas on how to improve and modernise the working of the Commission.
Some whales on the brink
However, formal IWC discussions are still dominated by member countries' differing views on whaling.
There are approximately 2,000 whales still being hunted and killed each year, while some whale populations remain on the brink of extinction.
WWF has called on Japan to stop killing whales under the guise of 'scientific research', urging recognition of the fact that science has progressed significantly since the provision allowing governments to issue lethal research permits was written into the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) over 60 years ago.
Research for improved biological understanding on whales can be performed using non-lethal techniques.
Role of International Whaling Commission
Initiated to manage whale stocks for whaling interests in 1946, WWF believes that the IWC is best placed to now address whales and their conservation as a whole.
In a statement to the meeting, WWF urged contracting governments to look more closely and consistently at the non-whaling threats to whales. These include general threats from habitat degradation and climate change, as well as more specific challenges such as being deafened or displaced by the operations of the oil and gas exploration and development industry, or being caught up and discarded as bycatch by the fishing industry.
Bycatch threat to whales
"The greatest threat to many cetacean species is bycatch, with estimates showing that more than 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises are killed in fishing gear each year," Lieberman said.
"Only through swift and cooperative international action to reduce bycatch will some critically endangered cetacean populations be saved," she added.
WWF's bycatch initiative is highlighting the existence of practical, innovative fishing gear designs to reduce bycatch. WWF's goal is to ensure that viable populations of all cetacean species occupy their historical range, and fulfill their role in maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems.
The International Whaling Commission will be meeting in Chile in June where discussions on the future of the IWC will continue.
"I'm detecting a willingness for governments at least to talk."
Dr Susan Lieberman, director of the global species programme, WWF
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