No compromise on commercial whaling
One of the world's greatest environmental achievements is threatened. The 24-year moratorium on commercial whaling could be partly lifted if a plan to end animosity among International Whaling Commission members is approved next week. Japan, Iceland and Norway, which have ignored the ban, would win, but they would be the only ones. Such a decision would spell doom for sea creatures, global ecosystems and international conservation efforts.
The proposal, being pushed by commission chairman Cristian Maquieira, would allow the nations which have defied the embargo to resume whaling legally in return for bringing down their catches. Approval by the group's 88 members at their annual meeting in Morocco next week would bring back together an organisation that has long been ineffective. Maquieira contends such a decision would significantly reduce the number of whales killed and promote whale conservation. But that is unlikely to happen.
Little is known about whale populations. The ban has lifted numbers of the most endangered species, but estimates are still far short of perceived levels when commercial whaling was at its peak in the 19th and early 20th centuries. About 30,000 of the giant, intelligent, mammals have been caught despite the moratorium; opening the door so they can be killed legally in stipulated quantities is no assurance that the rules will be followed. The ban must be maintained and gaps filled so that it can be properly enforced.
Japan, Iceland and Norway have histories of eating whale meat. But whaling is an economically insignificant industry - together, they catch about 2,000 whales a year. In Japan, less than 1 per cent of the population consumes whale regularly; on average, Japanese each eat 20 to 30 grams annually, the equivalent of a bite. At stake is not so much an industry but nationalism, pride and principles.
Norway has refused to accept the ban, believing it should be treated like the few indigenous communities that have been given limited exemptions to preserve cultural practices. Japan and Iceland have got around the regulations by using a loophole that allows hunting for scientific research. But little of the whale meat ends up in laboratories; it mostly finds its way onto dinner tables. As we report today, the difficulty in getting it there means that a lucrative business has arisen for those with access to whaling ships.
The commission was established 64 years ago by 14 whaling nations worried about dwindling stocks. But the rise of the environmental movement in the 1970s turned its mission from commerce to conservation. Japan believes it should return to its roots, but doesn't accept the new proposal. Claiming whale numbers have sufficiently regenerated, it prefers to either have the ban fully lifted or keep the status quo.
Japan has lobbied hard for commercial whaling and countries opposed, Australia and New Zealand among them, have been similarly forceful. Nations unconnected to the commission's work have been convinced to join to sway votes. In return for support, they have had expenses to meetings covered and been bribed with development aid. The grouping's business has broken down; meetings have become shouting matches where little is achieved.
Whales hold a special place in nature. Their status at the top of the marine food chain means that for the sake of ecosystems they have to be protected. The moratorium on their culling can't be compromised; instead of being weakened, it should be made permanent and steps taken to ensure no government ignores it.
