BREAKING NEWS: International Whaling Commission votes no more permits for scientific whaling in Antarctica!!! Strong EU support brings victory for whales as IWC votes against Japan’s ‘scientific whaling’ in Antarctic Thursday, September 18, 2014 Portoroz, Slovenia There was a major victory for whales on the final day of the 65th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) today when the forum passed a key resolution to uphold the recent World Court ruling that Japan’s ‘scientific whaling’ in Antarctica was illegal and no further permits should be issued. The EU, voting as a bloc, was instrumental in the passage of the resolution. Days of wrangling between pro and anti-whaling nations meant the resolution by New Zealand, which could have been passed by consensus, was pushed to a vote which went through 35-20 with five abstentions and one absence. The measure aims to protect and enshrine the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in the procedures of the IWC to help ensure that no further illegal permits for scientific whaling will be issued. The result was welcomed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), which had lobbied hard in support of the resolution and against moves to water down its effectiveness. Patrick Ramage, Director of IFAW’s Global Whales Programme, said: “We are delighted by this crucial victory for whales. After the recent historic World Court ruling it begged the question of whether the IWC would be up to the challenge of imposing court-ordered standards for scientific whaling or content to stand on the sidelines while Japan continued commercial whaling by another name. “This measure goes a long way in securing the full promise of the ICJ judgment which gives whales in Antarctica protection against slaughter for the first time in more than a century. We now urge Japan to call a permanent end to its illegal whaling activities in the Southern Ocean.” This resolution was the key issue of conflict at this critical four-day meeting of the IWC, the conservation body set up to protect whales, which saw more than 60+ member countries come together for the first time in two years against the backdrop of the landmark judgment by ICJ. The EU and the EU Presidency played a key role in ensuring the ICJ ruling was acknowledged and integrated into the work of the IWC. After initially announcing it would comply with the March 2014 ruling and cancel its slaughter in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, Japan stated its intention to create a new research plan and resume killing of whales in the name of science after a one-year pause. Japan recently sent an email to scientists around the world asking for international help to review its plans for a new ‘scientific whaling’ programme. Today’s positive vote for whales followed another win for conservationists on Tuesday when a resolution by Monaco on Highly Migratory Species, to provide greater global protection through involvement of the UN and other international bodies, was also passed by vote. Other issues still on the table on the final day include proposals for Japanese coastal whaling and creation of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 12:05:34 +0000
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