THOUSANDS OF whales will continue to be killed each year following the collapse yesterday of international negotiations to redraw whaling rules after two intense days of secret talks.
Anti-whaling groups nevertheless hailed the collapse as a success, as it means the ban on whaling – introduced 24 years ago but ignored by some nations – remains in place.
Pro- and anti-whaling countries failed to reach a compromise agreement at the meeting of the 88 member countries of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Agadir, Morocco.
Acting commission chairman Anthony Liverpool said “fundamental positions remained very much apart” while chief US delegate Monica Medina said: “After nearly three years of discussions, it appears we are at an impasse.”
Pro-whaling countries Japan, Norway and Iceland – with backing from the US, New Zealand and some green groups – had proposed lifting a ban on commercial whaling in return for cutting the number of whales killed under quotas that would reduce over a 10-year period. Britain, Australia and Latin-American countries opposed ending the moratorium.
The failure to reach a consensus means the issue has been put to one side for at least a year. The result also calls into question the future of the International Whaling Commission, with documents published at the meeting saying the status quo “is not an option for an effective multilateral organisation”.
The current situation however, in which Norway and Iceland hunt whales despite the commission ban and Japan uses a "scientific whaling" loophole to hunt 1,000 mostly minke whales, will now continue.– ( Guardianservice)