International Whaling Commission
Portoroz – Press release n°3
After the mass strandings of pilot whales, gray whales and sperm whales since the beginning of the year on the beaches or in the creeks of the world ocean, now it is the turn of the International Whaling Commission to hit rock bottom. The accident was recorded in Portoroz, Slovenia, on the Adriatic coast, during and after the 68th plenary session. The international experts and NGOs who are at its bedside are trying to refloat it.
In addition to the financial suffocation due to the insufficiency of the annual contributions from the member countries, as well as the planned asphyxiation of its Scientific Committee of which 500 international experts are members, the IWC suffers a lightning empty chair virus.
Robin des Bois illustration
On the eve of the vote on the proposal for a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic, 52 countries present had the right to vote. At 11:37 a.m. yesterday, Thursday, October 20, just as the sanctuary was about to be discussed, 17 delegations were missing. Iceland, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Lucia, Cambodia, Laos, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Morocco, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania, Cameroon and the Republic of Guinea had either retreated to their rooms or were on an excursion in the old city. Only their flags were present around the conference table. In the absence of a quorum, the vote on the sanctuary was postponed indefinitely, although with everyone present, it had a good chance of being accepted. All the South American continent countries, the United States of America, Australia, New Zealand and the European Union countries are in favor of the creation of this sanctuary, which complements the Indian Ocean sanctuary and the Southern Ocean sanctuary around Antarctica. The propagators of the empty chair virus returned at 5:30 p.m.
Sanctuaries are areas of the world ocean where commercial whaling is prohibited and will remain so even if the ban on commercial whaling that entered into force in 1986 is one day lifted by IWC member states.
The new chair of the IWC is held by the Republic of Guinea, which is fiercely opposed to the sanctuary and a fan of the empty chair.
If all goes well, the next IWC plenary session will be held in Peru in 2024.
Links to previous IWC 68 press releases:
Whales in hot water n°2, October 20, 2022
Whales in hot water, October 17, 2022
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