Posts Tagged "Japon"

At the 57th session of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), to be held in Ulsan, South Korea from June 20th-24th, Japan will introduce JARPA II, a new long-term whaling programme in Antarctica, which would be made legal by a scientific research loophole. JARPA I (Japan’s Whale Research Program under Special Permit in Antarctica), in place since 1988, exclusively tracks and captures Minke whales. The annual quota of these “scientific” hunters was 300 whales. Since 1995, the total exceeds 400. All this takes place in the Antarctic Sanctuary established by the IWC in 1994.

Only in French.

Japan has asked for a new item to be put on the agenda at the 56th International Whaling Commission in Sorrento this week; “future sustainable whaling – full utilization of harvested whales”. The admitted aim of this maneuver – which leaves more than one Party perplexed – is to review the history of past whaling, especially in the Antarctic Ocean, by underlining the possible uses of all whale parts. To do this Japan refers to sustainable development and Article VIII 2 of the founding Convention of the IWC, which stipulates that “any whales taken under these special permits (scientific permits) shall so far as praticable be processed and the proceeds shall be dealt with in accordance with directions issued by the Government by which the permit was granted”.

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.

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.