The Small Working Group of the International Whaling Commission meets in Florida next week, to discuss the controversial draft "deal" that would permit commercial whaling, at reduced levels, for the next ten years. One member has already signaled that it finds the proposal unacceptable.
The government of Australia on Thursday announced that the process that resulted in the draft deal "demands too many first order concessions from those who are committed to an end to commercial and special permit (unilateral so-called ‘scientific’) whaling, and does not do enough to conserve and protect whale populations."
The Australians were particularly vexed that the draft deal, if adopted, would allow Japan to continue whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. In response, they will be presenting a counter proposal to the Florida meeting, which will call for the following:
1.All whaling should be under the control of the IWC. Unilateral so-called ‘scientific’ whaling purportedly conducted under Article VIII and whaling under objection or reservation should be brought to an immediate end. An agreed mechanism and timetable to address the reform of Article VIII and the use of objections and reservations should be established.
2.Whaling (other than current aboriginal subsistence whaling) should be phased down within a reasonable timeframe, including the phasing down and out of whaling in the Southern Ocean within five years.
3.No new whaling on cetacean species or populations not currently hunted should be allowed.
4.Recognising the threats to recovery of whale species and populations, including new and emerging threats associated with climate change, the take for vulnerable species and populations should be reduced immediately to zero.
5.Paragraph 10(e) (moratorium on commercial whaling) of the schedule to the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling will remain in place.
6.All whaling should be prohibited in all IWC-recognised whale sanctuaries – including the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and the Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary and the proposed South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary.
7.An agreed mechanism and a strategy for implementation to ensure a robust and properly funded monitoring, compliance and enforcement framework for whaling during the phase-out period should be established.
8.An agreed mechanism should be established to address new and emerging threats to cetaceans, including climate change, marine pollution, fishing activities, poorly regulated whale watching industries, ship strikes and habitat disturbance; as well as an agreed framework to broaden the management tools available to the Commission to address non-consumptive uses of whales.
9.An agreed consensual and principle-based approach, as previously outlined by Australia , should be followed for all scientific research conducted under the authority of the Commission. Decisions should be based on IWC-approved scientific procedures.
Japan called the Australian proposal "extremely regrettable."
But Australia's position is hardly surprising. A week ago, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd declared that if Japan did not cease whaling in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, Canberra would bring a case before the International Court of Justice.
Tags: Conservation
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