Whaling Commission highlights, June 09
The 61st International Whaling Commission met at the end of June 2009 in Madeira, Portugal. Here are just a few of the highlights and news snippets from WWF’s team at the meeting.
Day 1
We’re trying to get consensus on a climate change resolution, endorsing the IWC`s Scientific Committee conclusion that climate change is a key threat to whales, and asking the IWC to participate in climate change meetings in the run-up to Copenhagen…
The New Zealand delegation asked Japan not to take humpback whales as part of their "scientific whaling" program…
More whale meat was traded in the last 12 months than in the previous 12 years. We’d like the IWC to make a statement on this, but it won’t happen because the chairman has said he won’t allow any resolutions to be passed without full consensus – and we won’t get agreement from perpetrators like Norway, Iceland and Japan…
The Scientific Committee reported on discussions about the critically endangered western gray whale population in the waters of Russia, Japan and Korea. It highlighted “the urgent need to reduce ‘anthropogenic mortality’ – that’s death caused by humans – to zero”. WWF have been pushing for more protection for the whales – add your name to our letter to BP, Exxon and other oil and gas developers in the region...
Day 2
South Korea unexpectedly announced that it intends to start coastal whaling again, and in fact is “eagerly awaiting” its resumption…
A so-called 'Support Group' of 12 countries has been created to find a way forward and break the deadlock between pro-whaling and anti-whaling countries. The key issue for us is the need to end “scientific whaling”...
In a related development, Norway stopped its current whale hunt on Tuesday afternoon because of a lack of demand for whale meat…
Day 3
The dangers of eating whale and dolphin meat, because of high levels of pollutants such as mercury, was highlighted by several countries. Whaling nations rejected discussion of this issue in the IWC…
Whale watching – members adopted a proposal for a long-term programme to help develop whale watching in developing countries (among many other things)…
Member countries unanimously agreed to a WWF-supported workshop on climate change and small cetaceans to be hosted in Austria in November, with financial backing from Australia and the US…
Some encouraging news at the WWF-hosted press briefing on Small Cetaceans: The Forgotten Whales. Australia’s Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, joined the panel and announced a contribution of AU$ 500,000 for small cetacean conservation and protection.
The issue was illustrated by Dr Lorenzo Rojas, the Mexican IWC commissioner, who discussed his efforts to save the vaquita, a small dolphin with just 150 animals remaining...
Day 4
On the last day of this year’s IWC meeting, member countries unanimously agreed to adopt a major resolution on climate change, co-sponsored by the US and Norway.
The resolution endorses the conclusion of the IWC`s Scientific Committee that climate change is a key threat to whales.
It also directs the IWC to participate in external climate change meetings in the run-up to Copenhagen, which will support WWF’s efforts to ensure that climate negotiations take into account impacts on biodiversity.
The most groundbreaking part in the document is that the Commission “appeals to all Contracting Governments to take urgent action to reduce the rate and extent of climate change” – it’s highly unusual for marine resource management bodies to make such a categorical statement on the need to reduce climate change.
Read the full IWC climate change resolution
Members postponed a decision on Greenland’s request to kill ten additional humpback whales under their aboriginal subsistence whaling quota. That issue will now come up during an intersessional meeting prior to next year’s IWC 62, following a workshop to resolve outstanding issues.
Following the launch of WWF’s small cetacean report yesterday, several governments highlighted the need to focus on small cetaceans (more than ever before in the IWC), with particular mention of the vaquita in Mexico, Irrawaddy dolphins, and the Dall’s porpoise unsustainable hunt in Japan, among many others.
Several governments also highlighted the Scientific Committee conclusion that the Solomon Islands’ harvest of Indopacific bottlenose dolphins is unsustainable and threatens the population.
Japan refused to respond to questions about its small cetacean hunts, stating they would only do so outside the IWC room.
Australia repeated its commitment to funding for small cetacean work, and Belgium proposed a review of work on conservation and management for small cetaceans to take place before IWC62 in 2010.
The newly elected chair of the IWC, Ambassador Cristian Maquieira of Chile gave an excellent speech, highlighting the need to focus on whale conservation and protection, and the role of civil society.
Significantly, he talked about 2010 being the International Year of Biodiversity, and said he hopes the IWC can take decisions that benefit whales and biodiversity.
The End of the Line, a WWF-supported film about the problems of overfishing, was screened in the evening.
Summing up IWC61 from WWF’s angle
We successfully increased attention on small cetaceans and highlighted the economic unsustainability of whaling.
This was our third year focusing on climate change at the IWC, with major positive and precedent-setting outcomes.
Unfortunately, whales are still being killed for ‘scientific purposes’, and over the next year WWF will be working hard on these and other cetacean issues.
Small Cetaceans Report - Comments from Dr. Sue Lieberman from WWF on Vimeo.
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