Condemn or condone ?
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) continues to be one of the most contentious international Conventions of the Parties around. While countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Monaco, France, Italy, the USA and the United Kingdom promote survival of the species, the agenda of it’s Asian contingency focuses on loose ocean governance and industrial fishing success based on their relatively easy pooling of the votes (1) of African, Caribbean and other developing countries.
Caribbean and African States say no to conservation
In 2003 the International Whaling Commission put into motion an important initiative designed to look holistically at the marine environment and how best to conserve marine mammals within this scheme.
The establishment of this Committee has opened up new possibilities for the IWC to promote International cooperation and provide adequate advice for interested national Governments on issues related to cetacean management and conservation.
The Whale Advantage
Whales are accused of anything and everything. They reap the ocean’s harvest of fish, they represent a deadly risk for sailing race boats, in the same way they were accused last century of attacking Ocean liners. “The Initiative of Berlin” signed by eighteen member countries (*) during its 55th pleniary meeting seeks to reverse current trends.
It seeks the implementation within the commission of a committee for the protection of whales which would coordinate and complement the existing Scientific Committee. The official role of this new structure would be in conformity with the 1946 founding text of the Convention which calls “In the interests of all countries worldwide to safeguard the large natural resources represented by whales’ populations for the next generation”.
