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24 May 2002
Commercial whaling has no place in the 21st century
Two whaling management plans proposed during yesterday's plenary session were rejected by the IWC.
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| Greenpeace activists outside the conference centre this morning with a banner in Japanese and english reading "Whaling - no place in the 21st century". |
Even the Government of Japan's vote buying was not enough to push through Japan's version of the Revised Management Scheme (RMS) that included abolition of the moratorium on commercial whaling and abolition of the Southern ocean and Indian ocean whale sanctuaries.
The surprise in the voting came when one of Japan's traditional whaling allies abstained from the vite. Norway said Japan's proposal was not strong enough even though it would eliminate sanctuaries. In their speech following the voting, Norway said that they were "not ready to take part in a final decision and believed this vote to be premature". Russia also abstained.
 Oceans campaign Richard Page says that this outrageous proposal would have abolished all those hard won victories by conservation minded countries and environmental groups at the IWC in one stroke. "These victories were fought for on behalf of the world's remaining whales," said Page.
An alternative proposal sponsored by Sweden, the Netherlands, Ireland, Oman, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland and Finland also failed to gain the three quarters majority required under IWC rules to pass.
Management plans have never worked in the past and there is no reason to believe they would work now.
"Given the uncertainty surrounding the whale populations and the myriad environmental hazards they face, like toxic pollution and climate change, Greenpeace believes only an outright ban on commercial whaling can give whales a chance to recover," Page says.
The meeting which is far behind schedule went on until midnight without making any decisions.
The meeting continues today with another look at indigenous subsistence whaling, whale killing methods, scientific permits and other administrative matters.
You can support whale conservation by voting in the BBC news online poll and CNN online poll.
Help put pressure on countries bought by Japan
You can help put pressure on three of the newest countries bought by the Japanese government and ask them to stand up for whale conservation, not commercial whaling by sending a fax to these Foreign Ministers.
Mongolia is a land locked country and the latest to join the IWC. It is hard to image what there interest is in whaling except as a route to Japanese aid. Send a letter to their foreign minister.
Send a fax to the minister of Palau.
Send a fax to the minister of Benin in Africa.
Send a fax to Gabon.
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