Andreeas post a few days ago reminds us that SSCS has announced their intent to return to the Faroe Islands. On her post, we commented on the claims of the SSCS accomplishments of 2011. Here, we would like to address their claimed accomplishment in 2012: In 2012, Sea Shepherd reported Denmark to be in violation of three conventions it has signed whereby it vowed to do everything within its capacity to protect pilot whales — the Bern Convention, Bonn Convention and ASCOBANS. As a result, Sea Shepherd continues to pursue the matter with the European Commission in order to compel Denmark to abide by the obligations contained in these conventions and act to uphold the principles outlined therein. We have seen these claims before and we have addressed them on this page. Forgive us as we cover old ground, but there are new people here who may be confused by inaccurate SS claims and might benefit from an explanation. These conventions have been shown to not apply to the Faroe Islands and the intent of the parties to these conventions, including Denmark, could not be more clear. We shall start with Bern. Its aims are to conserve wild flora and fauna and their natural habitats and to promote European co-operation in that field. coe.int/t/dg4/cultureheritage/nature/Bern/default_en.asp Bern asks that member nations develop national policies with the above aims in mind, as stated in Article 3 of the convention text: ...with particular attention to endangered and vulnerable species, especially endemic ones, and endangered habitats, in accordance with the provisions of this Convention. The convention gives member nations latitude to determine areas to which the convention shall apply, as stated in Article 21 (1): Any State may, at the time of signature or when depositing its instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, specify the territory or territories to which this Convention shall apply. Convention text: conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/104.htm In Denmarks declaration of acceptance to the convention, they exclude both Greenland and the Faroe Islands: Declaration contained in the instrument of ratification, deposited on 8 September 1982 - Or. Fr. The Convention does not apply to Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Period covered: 1/1/1983 - The preceding statement concerns Article(s) : 21 Declarations and reservation of parties: conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ListeDeclarations.asp?NT=104&CM=8&DF=&CL=ENG&VL=1 It would seem that Denmarks intent is quite clear. They certainly comply with the terms of Bern. In our view, they also comply with its principles. Do pilot whales fall into a category described in Article 3, i.e. endangered or vulnerable? Several of the world authorities in this area do not think that Faroese harvest of pilot whales pose any threat to them. From IUCN Red List: The only current fishery for long-finned pilot whales is undertaken in the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Although this fishery has been actively pursued since the 9th century, catch levels have apparently not caused stock depletion, such as occurred off Newfoundland. Catch statistics exist from the Faroes since 1584, unbroken from 1709 to today, showing an annual average catch of 850 pilot whales (range: 0 - 4,480) with a cyclic variation according to the North-Atlantic climatic variations (Bloch and Larstein 1995). The IWC, ICES and NAMMCO have concluded, that with an estimated subpopulation size of 778 000 (CV=0.295) in the eastern North Atlantic and approximately 100 000 around the Faroes (Buckland et al. 1993; NAMMCO 1997) the Faroese catch is probably sustainable. In Greenland, catches are relatively small. iucnredlist.org/details/9250/0 It is clear that Denmark complies with both the terms and obligations of the Bern Convention. What about Bonn and ASCOBANS? For starters, ASCOBANS is a subpart of Bonn, so we can cover them together. Bonns full title is Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals and its members covers a wide geographic range. (see map) cms.int/about/map/world_english_small.jpg The text of Bonn contains appendices of migratory animals with varying levels of vulnerability. Appendix I contains animals threatened with extinction that require strict protection. Appendix II contains animals, including pilot whales, that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation. To this end, the convention acts as a framework for regional agreements and ASCOBANS is one such agreement. ASCOBANS is intended to cover a specific scope: 1. Scope and interpretation l.l. This agreement shall apply to all small cetaceans found within the area of the agreement. The area of agreement is spelled out but is basically the Baltic and North Sea (neither of which covers the location of the Faroe Islands): 1.2 (b) “Area of the Agreement” means the marine environment of the Baltic and North Seas and contiguous area of the North East Atlantic, as delimited by the shores of the Gulfs of Bothnia and Finland;... Agreement text: cms.int/species/ascobans/asc_text.htm In addition, only the North Sea and Baltic populations of pilot whales are considered in Appendix II (see pg 6) Globicephala melas (only North and Baltic Sea populations) cms.int/documents/appendix/appendices_e.pdf There was an expansion to the area of agreement amended in 2008 and the attached map shows the Faroe Islands still excluded from area of agreement. (see pg 4) service-board.de/ascobans_neu/files/finalres4.pdf Again, Denmark is in clear compliance with the objectives and terms of Bonn and ASCOBANS.
Posted on: Sun, 27 Oct 2013 17:19:49 +0000
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