Both sides, the pro- and anti-whaling factions, came out
swinging in the first two days of the 56th annual International
Whaling Commission meeting in Sorrento, Italy. Japan, the
world's largest consumer of whale meat, took some serious blows
to the body, but the country still could have the stamina to
land an unfortunate knockout punch.
Japan set the divisive tone on the opening day of the four-day meeting by, as
usual, objecting to conservation items on the agenda, such as
whale watching, the conservation committee and two different
sanctuaries, among other things. No vote was taken on Japan's
objections. A vote, however, was taken on Japan's bid to cast
secret ballots during the annual meeting; the proposal was
defeated 24-29, which Humane Society International and other
observers say will ensure the transparency needed for
responsible voting among IWC members.
The anti-whaling faction, for the most part, landed its
blows outside the main IWC meetings. Not only did The HSUS
release its groundbreaking report, "Competition Between Marine
Mammals and Fisheries: Food for Thought" by Kristin
Kaschner and Daniel Pauly, which repudiates Japan's theory that
whales compete with humans for fish, but a number of
non-governmental organizations, including HSI, held a press
conference denouncing Japan for allegedly buying votes and
unduly influencing the direction of the IWC.
"The countries that Japan has managed to influence with
financial aid like to justify their pro-whaling votes by
exploiting the argument that whales compete with humans for
fish," says HSI President Patricia Forkan. "That bogus
justification should finally be put to rest."
The vote-buying allegations are serious, not only for Japan
but also for the future of the IWC. One press report says the
pro-whaling voting bloc has grown from just nine IWC member
nations in 2000 to an estimated 27 this year. The number
threatens to tip the balance of the IWC from conservation to
whaling, even though the pro-whaling voting bloc is still well
below the three-quarters majority needed to overturn the 1986
moratorium on commercial whaling.
Nonetheless, much of the talk out of this year's IWC
meetings has focused on the swelling number of pro-whaling
nations and whether this means the beginning of the end for the
commercial moratorium. One news agency reported that IWC
chairman Henrik Fischer of Denmark supports lifting the
moratorium; more immediately imposing was Japan's proposal on
Wednesday, July 21, to kill nearly 3,000 minke whales in the
Antarctic Ocean, in an area that the IWC recognizes as a whale
sanctuary. The proposal was soundly defeated by a vote of 19 to
30 with two abstentions.
While Japan's proposal didn't come close to getting the
three-quarters majority required, it strongly signals the
country's intent if or when the commercial moratorium is ever
lifted. The threat of reversing the moratorium has anti-whaling
delegates and NGOs, such as HSI, concerned over the sorry state
of the Revised Management Scheme (RMS), which will oversee
commercial whaling in the event Japan and its allies are able
to lift the ban.
Kitty Block, The HSUS's special council for the United
Nations and Treaties section, objects to the current iteration
of the RMS on several fronts, from its lack of penalties for
infractions to a lack of transparency during the creation of
the document itself.
"From every angle you look at it, the RMS is a disaster,"
says Block, who is attending the IWC meetings in Sorrento. "In
fact, there is a very real possibility that the RMS will do
just the opposite of its intention: Instead of regulating
commercial whaling, it could give whaling nations carte
blanche."
(For a complete
breakdown of The HSUS's objections of the current RMS,
please read our media release.)
Like at last year's
meeting, Japan has once again threatened to withdraw from
the IWC and create its own whaling organization if the
commission doesn't start to respond to its alleged whaling
needs.
"Japan is still in denial about the conservation future of
the IWC," Block says. "The country doesn't seem to understand
that it's out of step with the rest of the world, which
wants to protect these beautiful creatures. The only way Japan
can level the playing field is by apparently buying votes. The
IWC must stop Japan from hijacking an organization that has
grown organically into the premiere conservation group for
whales."
Check back daily for updates from
the International Whaling Commission's annual meeting in
Sorrento, Italy.
