ECO: The environmental voice at the IWC

ECO is published by Earth Island Institute’s International Marine Mammal Project at the meeting of the International Whaling Commission on behalf of environmental and animal welfare organizations around the globe.

For further information, please contact: Mark J. Palmer, Associate Director, Earth Island Institute, International Marine Mammal Project.

Previous volumes of ECO are available here.

Eco

Volume LXIV · Panama City, Panama · No. 3 · Wednesday July 4, 2012
Acrobat .pdf of issue

Sea Shepherd Continues to Save Whales

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society this year continued its harassment efforts in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary against the Japanese so-called “scientific” whaling effort. This season, the Japanese whalers only killed 267 whales, about 26 percent of their self-issued quota.

In the last season (2010-11), Japan’s fleet managed to kill only 172 whales (about 17 percent of expected quota). As per usual, the IWC will again be given a presentation about “safety at sea” by the Japanese delegation. And again, it is likely the IWC will ignore the absence of a rebuttal from Sea Shepherd and pass a resolution about safety at sea.

The Commission has repeatedly been lectured by the Japanese Fisheries Agency and other delegations that they have no competence to address issues other than killing of large whales. But since when did the IWC obtain the competence to discuss “safety at sea?”

Other competent international fora that deal with ocean and ship safety, not the IWC, should be having these discussions.