By Kitty Block
St. Kitts, West Indies—Before the 58th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission began here June 16, the question for many wasn't whether Japan had secured a majority among member-nations, but what kind of damage the pro-whaling country would do with the voting balance of power on its side. Yet by the time the first day was finished, not only did Japan lose its first two proposals, but Japanese officials, despite determinedly stacking the IWC with allies, may not even have a simple majority of members on their side.
The first vote of the day was supposed to be Japan's opening salvo—a cannon shot aimed at the animal protection kingdom, warning it that whales are not safe from the island nation's all-consuming desire to return the IWC to the pre-moratorium days of commercial whaling. Alternate Japanese commissioner Joji Morishita even talked tough during a morning press conference before the start of the official meeting, using the language of a confident prizefighter. He said that the IWC "has no reason to exist anymore," unless it begins a "normalization of this organization," which is Japan's coded language for a return to commercial whaling.
But by early afternoon, heavyweight Japan had suffered a serious blow. IWC chair Hendrik Fischer called for a vote on Japan's proposal to eliminate any discussion (or actions arising from the discussion) on the Scientific Committee's report on small cetaceans; Japanese officials wanted to delete the agenda item because they don't believe that Dall's porpoises, orcas, and other small cetaceans fall within the scope of the IWC. When the final vote was tallied, the majority of IWC member-nations disagreed. The proposal failed by two votes, 30-32, with one abstention. Belize, a Caribbean nation that tends to follow Japan's lead, was the surprise "no" ballot that tilted the vote in conservationists' favor.
"What this vote says is that since the Scientific Committee spends so much time working on its (small cetacean) report, why not discuss it here?" said Dr. William Hogarth, head of the U.S. delegation to the IWC. "You don't want the Scientific Committee working in a vacuum."
"Things swung our way this time, and we're elated about it," said Australian Environment Minister Ian Campbell. He said the IWC effectively put Japanese officials on notice that they're "not getting away with what they're doing," which was, he noted, nothing less than trying to "rewrite the convention" that protects all whales, including small cetaceans.
Japan's second defeat came later in the afternoon on a proposal to amend the rules of procedure to include secret ballots. Playing the international patrician role, Japan's Morishita said secret ballots were necessary to "protect small and weak countries" from attacks, threats and harassment when they vote for pro-whaling initiatives. The alternate commissioner's comments immediately drew laughter from other IWC members; his comments also drew the ire of more than 10 commissioners, including those from Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Italy and the United States. In the end, the majority of IWC members voted down Japan's play for secrecy; the vote was 30 for, 33 against, and one abstention.
"It's a significant and historic victory for whales," Australia's Campbell said. "It's hard to believe in this day and age…and with a straight face that Japan could get away with such a preposterous proposal."
The United States' Hogarth believed that IWC commissioners wanted to deliver a straight-forward message: "We owe it to our constituents to tell them how we voted." Humane Society International President Patricia Forkan echoed Hogarth's comment when she said, simply enough, "Transparency lives to see another year."
The opening-day votes may have thwarted Japan on two of its major proposals, but no one here is gloating over the conservation victories. Everyone knows that the votes could swing Japan's way later in the conference. Denmark is expected to start siding with Japan. (The nation mysteriously abstained on the small cetacean vote, and was forced to vote against secret ballots because it belongs to the European Union, which legally requires transparency of its members.) What's more, the small African nation of Togo arrived late in the day on Friday, paid its fees and is expected to walk in Japan's footsteps.
"At this point, it's going to be issue by issue," Hogarth said. HSI's Forkan agreed. "Nothing at this year's IWC will come easy," she said. "Japan is desperately fighting to strip away years of hard-won victories for whales, and conservationists are fighting back to tell everyone to wake up and realize that the whales are not saved yet. Belize appears to have heard the message, but a lot more nations need to come around."
Random spoutings from the IWC meeting:
• Dr. William Hogarth, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service and head of the United States' IWC delegation, was elected vice chair of the International Whaling Commission. The position had been empty for four months.
• The Scientific Committee decided it needed to conduct more research to explain the huge reduction in Antarctic minke whale abundance from one circumpolar survey (CP II) to another (CP III). From CP II to CP III, the minke whale abundance dropped from 786,000 to 338,000. One scientist thinks that the CP III survey may have been conducted when massive ice shelves prevented an accurate accounting.
• In his opening remarks, the Hon. Timothy Harris, minister of Foreign Affairs for St. Kitts and Nevis, adamantly denied that his country's IWC votes were for sale. St. Kitts, he said, would never "sell our conscience, sell our values." But in the very next breath, Harris said, "Whenever we are in doubt, let's give way to the needs of the people." In other words, St. Kitts backs the same "sustainable use" approach to harvesting whales as Japan.
• During a morning press conference, a reporter asked Japanese alternate commissioner Joji Morishita how the country could claim that endangered fin and vulnerable humpback whales are "abundant" and could therefore justify killing them. Morishita responded that the whales are "abundant enough."
• Chile has to hope that the 60th annual IWC meeting goes smoother than the country's attempt to show a simple video at this year's conference. Commissioners agreed to accept Chile's invitation to host the 2008 meeting, but when the Chilean delegation tried to show a promotional video about the nation and its marine life, the snafus began to pile up. First the video wouldn't play, so Chairman Fischer decided to show it later in the afternoon. Then the video started up, as if on its own, in the middle of Japan's pitch for secret ballots. Later when Fischer called for another screening, the video kept blinking off and on, which prompted yet another delay. Finally, in the late afternoon, Chile got its screen time.
