Saving the whale – IWC meets in Slovenia

[webfact]

Saving the whale – IWC meets in Slovenia

 

 

What is happening?

 

More than 80 nations have gathered in Slovenia for the biennial meeting of the International Whaling Commission.

 

The IWC tries to balance national sovereignty, culture and subsistence rights with nature conservation and animal cruelty concerns.

 

Originally established as an international body for regulating sustainable whaling and monitoring whale stocks, the IWC started leaning towards conservation and nature protection in the 1970s and 1980s.

 

The meeting will run for five days and marks the 70th anniversary of the IWC’s founding.

 

It also coincides with the 30th anniversary of the whaling moratorium, which is estimated to have saved tens of thousands of whales.

 

What is likely to be top of the agenda?

 

• Japan’s return to whale hunting
• Plans for a whale sanctuary

Among the main issues discussed will be Australia’s renewed efforts to bring more scrutiny to the process of scientific whaling permits.

 

These are issued by Japan to Japanese whalers in defiance of the moratorium.

 

Additionally, Brazil and several other South American and African countries are pushing for the establishment of a new whale sanctuary in the Atlantic.

 

Will the meeting go smoothly?
 

Unlikely

The organisation’s 88 member nations are divided into pro- and anti-whaling camps.
 

Who are the main pro-whaling nations?

 

Japan

Iceland

Norway

 

Japan sets its own quotas for whale hunts it says are carried out for “scientific purposes”.

 

Norway and Iceland hunt carry out commercial whale hunting under legal loopholes.

 

Aboriginal whaling

 

Canada

Russia

Faroe Islands (Denmark)

 

Aboriginal whaling is carried out by countries with a tradition of doing it for subsistence purposes.

 

Japan

 

Although a 1986 moratorium was successful in greatly reducing the numbers of whales taken, Japan chose to defy the ban.

 

It routinely exploits a provision in the moratorium that allows whaling to be conducted for scientific purposes.

 

Because of this, Japanese whalers still kill hundreds of whales every year.

 

Many are in the southern ocean, which led Australia to take Japan to the International Court of Justice.

 

It ruled in 2014 that Japan’s whaling should cease.

 

In spite of the ruling, Japan continued with its whaling programme. This led Australia to propose a more stringent review of all existing permits.

 

Anti-whaling NGOs say Japan’s scientific whaling is a disguise. Others criticise the practice because it is carried out in the southern ocean. This has been declared a whale sanctuary and all whaling is prohibited.
 

A whale sanctuary at sea

 

A new sanctuary, proposed jointly by the governments of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and South Africa, would turn the entire Atlantic Ocean between South America and Africa into a whale haven.

 

It has been described as a much-needed tool to fight the new dangers that whales and dolphins face.

 

How many whales die each year?

 

Experts think around 2,000.

 

However, hundreds of thousands more – possibly up to 300,000 – die as “bycatch”, accidentally caught in fishing nets.
 

What they are saying

 

“Whaling has no place in the 21st century. It is outdated, it is thoroughly inhumane,” – Claire Bass, Humane Society International.

 

“Science is needed whenever we conduct hunting or fishery or whatever. The utilization of natural resources needs to be supported by scientific evidence. The form of scientific research might be different, but science is still needed,” – Japan’s Commissioner Joji Morishita.

 

“Australia, as you know, has invested significant amounts of money and helped an initiative known as the Twelve Nation Southern Ocean Research Partnership which emphasizes non-lethal methods of research. Acoustic tagging, underwater listening stations and satellite tracking can all provide very successful, effective and efficient methods of research without using lethal methods,” – Josh Frydenberg, Australian Minister for Environment and Energy.

 

 

-- © Copyright Euronews 2016-10-25

[JKfarang]

Unfortunately, humankind is destroying sea life at an alarming rate and in many different ways.  Whaling being one of them.  Only governments have the resources to stop the carnage but, of course, they won't to any significant degree.  Short term profits over long term anything is the new mantra.  I can not express my sincere sorrow enough for what this once beautiful planet will become for future generations. Seven billion plus people and counting.  An already unsustainable number that will continue to increase until the planet finally starts to rid itself of what has effectively become a virus on it's surface.

[elgordo38]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

 

The IWC tries to balance national sovereignty, culture and subsistence rights with nature conservation and animal cruelty concerns.

Message to the IWC your not succeeding. 

[Morch]

Seems kinda odd for the IWC to meet in Slovenia....not like it got much of coastline, even.

[Yahooka]

9 hours ago, JKfarang said:

Unfortunately, humankind is destroying sea life at an alarming rate and in many different ways.  Whaling being one of them.  Only governments have the resources to stop the carnage but, of course, they won't to any significant degree.  Short term profits over long term anything is the new mantra.  I can not express my sincere sorrow enough for what this once beautiful planet will become for future generations. Seven billion plus people and counting.  An already unsustainable number that will continue to increase until the planet finally starts to rid itself of what has effectively become a virus on it's surface.

 

Get your facts right.Whaling as it practised nowadays is NOT destroying sea life !!

[Credo]

4 hours ago, Yahooka said:

 

Get your facts right.Whaling as it practised nowadays is NOT destroying sea life !!

Whales would probably disagree with you, though.   

[JKfarang]

11 hours ago, Yahooka said:

 

Get your facts right.Whaling as it practised nowadays is NOT destroying sea life !!

 

If you have the "facts" then post a link so that I an others who are actually concerned about the future of our oceans (and the planet as a whole) can become enlightened.  And please include all whaling practices (not merely those conducted by indigenous peoples) as well as their impact both direct and indirect.  Until then, I stand beside my current opinion.

[Yahooka]

6 hours ago, JKfarang said:

 

If you have the "facts" then post a link so that I an others who are actually concerned about the future of our oceans (and the planet as a whole) can become enlightened.  And please include all whaling practices (not merely those conducted by indigenous peoples) as well as their impact both direct and indirect.  Until then, I stand beside my current opinion.

          I can start with the whale catch in the Northern Atlantic.Norway has  can catch 1.200 minke whale each year(catches around 900 of them) out of an estimated population of around  100.000 in the North Atlantic.Iceland also catches 150 Fin whales out of an estimated population of  20.000 in the North Atlantic.Faroe Islands catches around 1.000 pilot whales out of an population of 700.000 in the North Atlantic.

 

          So with this number the European whale catching is a very sustainable industry and in addidtion whale meat is VERY nutrisious . https://iwc.int/estimate

[dick dasterdly]

I've only recently discovered 'Whale Wars' on the TV, and have huge respect for those 'Sea Shepherd' boats (crew) who are doing their very best to stop the Japanese 'research'  boats killing whales.

[JKfarang]

18 hours ago, Yahooka said:

          I can start with the whale catch in the Northern Atlantic.Norway has  can catch 1.200 minke whale each year(catches around 900 of them) out of an estimated population of around  100.000 in the North Atlantic.Iceland also catches 150 Fin whales out of an estimated population of  20.000 in the North Atlantic.Faroe Islands catches around 1.000 pilot whales out of an population of 700.000 in the North Atlantic.

 

          So with this number the European whale catching is a very sustainable industry and in addidtion whale meat is VERY nutrisious . https://iwc.int/estimate

 

Fair enough but, with all due respect, this is an incomplete description of what has and is occurring throughout the world.  In addition, estimates are not facts; the complexities of which are enormous when applied to whale species populations (as this article exemplifies http://www.nature.com/articles/srep04170).

 

I do not question that there are some current examples of responsible whaling.  However, even recent history has shown that left unchecked and unregulated humankind in general has a tendency to consider conservation the option of last resort.

 

Edited October 27, 2016 by JKfarang
typo: replaced 'and' with 'are'

[Dipterocarp]

Whaling as allowed by the IWC is extremely limited.  Perhaps we should ask millions of sushi eating eating hypocrites in Brussels and New York 

why whale stocks can't be exploited if done at sustainable levels, like any other fishery? Way more whales are killed as by catch and rammed by ships.

Why don't they call for a ban all fishing and Ocean Freight? As for the Sea Shepherd crew who endanger human life on the high seas, it is no less than terrorism 

and piracy under international law. Surprised the lot of them have not been jailed and vessels seized.

 

Edited October 30, 2016 by Dipterocarp