By Kitty Block
St. Kitts, West Indies—Less than 24 hours after Japan bullied the St. Kitts and Nevis Declaration through the 58th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission, commissioners and observers were already feeling the impact of the pro-whaling statement in ways large and small.
The non-binding resolution that, among other things, declared the commercial whaling moratorium was "no longer necessary" generated ripple effects far and wide—from the meeting room here at the St. Kitts Marriott to Denmark's embassy in Washington D.C., where officials fielded numerous calls complaining about the country's decision to support the St. Kitts declaration.
IWC representatives and executives with non-governmental organizations alike decried the declaration to news outlets across the globe. "It is simply a toothless statement of frustration at the pro-conservation coalition's continuing success," Australia's Environment Minister Ian Campbell told the Herald Sun, the country's largest paper. "I am obviously thrilled that our hard work over the past years has paid off, but there is still more work to do to ensure that the kind of whaling that is taking place by countries like Japan, Iceland and Norway is not a part of our future."
"The St. Kitts Declaration is simply Japan's revenge after years of being necessarily marginalized in an organization devoted to conservation, not whaling," said Humane Society International President Patricia Forkan. "For the past two decades Japan has done little here except to cynically exploit small developing nations to promote its pro-whaling agenda. Never mind that these are the same countries that the Japan routinely disrespects by sending its huge fishing boats into Caribbean territorial waters."
The St. Kitts Declaration affected the IWC in more subtle ways as well. During the morning session, a representative from the Conservation Committee (a group established in 2003 against the wishes of many pro-whaling nations) delivered a report on so-called "stinky gray whales" and ship strikes. A large number of conservation-minded countries, from the United States to Australia to Argentina, immediately requested time to compliment the committee for its important work.
Then Japan spoke. Japanese Deputy Commissioner Joji Morishita voiced the country's usual complaint—that the Conservation Committee should embrace the concept of "sustainable use" of whales in its work—but then surprised some commissioners by declaring that Japan will not try to disband the committee. "We don't like to polarize this issue any more," Morishita said.
The comment inspired several commissioners to praise Japan's restraint. New Zealand Deputy Commissioner Jim McLay said it was "very, very generous" that Japan opted not to try to disband the Conservation Committee. Representatives from Australia and Chile offered similar salutes.
"This is undoubtedly a long-term strategy on Japan's part," said HSI's Forkan. "They muscled the St. Kitts Declaration through this year, but now that they have the majority on their side, they don't want to look like a bully. They don't want everyone to think they're pushing the IWC around, trying to dismantle the Conservation Committee or kicking out NGOs. They want to look reasonable in the world's eyes. But you can be sure they'll be pushing for more next year, and the year after that."
In other words, the whaling moratorium is still in place, but Japan may be just warming up to its newfound power.
Random spoutings from the IWC meeting:
• No official votes were taken on Monday, but the Scientific Committee did generate some heated debate after it noted that whale watching can adversely impact whale and small cetacean populations. In a case study looking at the fitness of killer whales in the Johnstone Strait in British Columbia, Canada, the committee noted that "there is new compelling evidence that the fitness of individual odontocetes repeatedly exposed to whale watching vessel traffic can be compromised and that this can lead to population level effects."
Japan used the information to argue that since both whale hunting and whale watching "rely on abundant species," conservationists should be "more generous to whaling." No conservationist-minded nation took Japan's bait.
• Much of the afternoon session was consumed by a lengthy discussion over humane killing methods. Most conservation-minded nations agree that, given the size of the target whales as well as the conditions under which hunters work, humane killing is almost impossible to achieve. Nonetheless, commissioners continued to search for ways to improve what's known as the "time to death," which can sometimes last longer than 20 minutes for large species of whales.
Not long after a representative from Switzerland suggested that Russian aboriginal hunters should use a higher caliber weapon to kill whales, a Russian official sarcastically thanked the Swiss for their advice given their "experience in whale hunting." The Swiss official responded that while his countrymen don't hunt whales, they do have a long history of hunting. "I'm a hunter myself, so I have ideas on the use of calibers."
• Commissioners passed a resolution by consensus that calls for the IWC not to tolerate protesters whose activities pose "a risk to human life and property" on whaling ships at sea. The resolution comes in response to an incident earlier this year in which a Greenpeace boat collided with a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Greenpeace officials expected worse. They expected to be kicked out of the IWC meeting.
• It seems that humans aren't the only ones who have BO. In 1998, Russian aboriginal hunters killed a number of gray whales who gave off a "strong medicinal odor," a representative of the Conservation Committee told IWC commissioners on Monday. The whales smelled so bad that hunters deemed the meat inedible. The committee is continuing its research into the phenomenon now known as "stinky gray whales."
• IWC commissioners briefly debated the idea of switching its annual meeting to a biennial format. A number of representatives embraced the notion, which they said would save both the IWC and individual delegations money. It might also, noted a representative from Monaco, cut down on the number of redundant arguments that commissioners have to listen to. Chair Hendrik Fischer called for a special session at next year's IWC meeting in Anchorage, Alaska to discuss the biennial plan.
• It seems that conservationists have found themselves a new ally at the IWC. A group called Surfers for Cetaceans—a "voice for the international community of surfers"—is adamantly opposed to whaling. According to a press release passed out at the IWC meeting, Surfers for Cetaceans (S4C for short) are boarders who, "in a shared love of the ocean, see cetaceans as family—as next of kin." S4C says it is "opposed to the killing or mistreatment of whales and dolphins and calls on all those involved in such to turn away from creating such unnecessary suffering and instead to cherish and celebrate Whale Nation by protecting cetaceans, their home seas, and their migrations." Totally rad.
