RELATED Cetaceans Campaign

<< Back to homepage

The Chair and Vice-Chair of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) have posted a ‘Proposed Consensus Decision to Improve the Conservation of Whales’ on the website of the IWC after two years of discussion on the Future of the IWC.

©Debbie Bell

The proposal was circulated 60 days ahead of the IWC’s Annual Meeting that will take place in Morocco in June. This enables a decision on the proposal to be taken at this meeting. Although several draft proposals have previously been circulated, this is the first time the catch numbers being considered by the Chair’s Small Working Group have been revealed to the public. The proposal can be viewed here http://www.iwcoffice.org/_documents/commission/IWC62docs/62-7.pdf

The proposal contains a number of fundamental problems. EIA is particularly concerned that the proposal doesn’t meet the basic objectives of stated in the accompanying text. Most importantly it will result in the lifting of the international ban on commercial whaling - commonly known as The Moratorium – that has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of whales and allowed several populations to recover from the brink of extinction. The catch levels being proposed are staggeringly unacceptable.

In the press release accompanying the proposal, the Chair & Vice-Chair describe the proposal as “a draft proposal to bring all whaling operations under full IWC control and to strengthen further and focus the work of the IWC on conservation issues.”

“If adopted, the proposal (see here) for a 10-year peace plan keeps the moratorium on commercial whaling. Importantly, the three countries that at present set their own catch limits (Japan, Norway, Iceland) will have agreed to IWC-set sustainable catch limits that are substantially below present levels as well as to a rigorous oversight and enforcement arrangement. As proposed, several thousand less whales will be caught over the ten-year period than would have occurred if the present situation remained.”

Their statement is incorrect and misleading.

The catch limits proposed are not ‘substantially below present levels’. In fact, the proposed catches for Norway and Iceland are above present levels - in the case of Iceland, they are substantially higher than present levels.

The short briefing below details the proposed catch limits compared to average catches over the last five years (2005-2009).

The deal would result in increased numbers of whales being killed in the Northern Hemisphere. Iceland in particular would benefit from a 200% increase in fin whales and a 52% increase in minke whales, compared to actual current catches.

EIA urges all European countries to stand firm against commercial whaling in Europe and reject the proposal outright.

FILE DOWNLOADS

IWC Chair proposes expanded whaling in Europe PDF File [58.16 K]   DOWNLOAD

< Back