The 55th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Berlin, Germany, spelled trouble for whale sanctuaries, as Japan mobilized anti-conservation votes from its allies in the organization. The meeting struck a promising note with the adoption of the Berlin Initiative, a groundbreaking whale conservation measure that promised to set the organization on a more humane course. But In October, Iceland resumed hunting whales, to the consternation of the Bush Administration, and worldwide outcry.

To read about the 2003 IWC meeting and other developments, click the links below.