In the end, environmentalists鈥� fears proved unfounded. The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Ulsan, South Korea, closed on 25 June with no real change to the status quo. But Japan stood by its plans to increase its 鈥渟cientific鈥� catches.
The meeting had opened to fears among the anti-whaling bloc, led by New Zealand, Australia and the UK, that pro-whaling nations might finally gain a majority among the 66 member states (New 杏吧原创, 18 June, p 6). 鈥淲e all thought Japan would gain the numbers this year,鈥� says Michael Kennedy of Humane Society International in Avalon, New South Wales, Australia. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛, but while we鈥檝e held the fort, it took a lot more lobbying. Japan really put the pressure on.鈥�
Although a three-quarters majority would have been needed to overturn the 19-year ban on commercial whaling, a simple majority would have been seen as a moral victory for Japan.
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Nonetheless, Japan said it intended to double its annual 鈥渟cientific鈥� minke whale quota, to 935. It also announced plans to take 50 humpbacks and 50 fin whales per year. Both are classed as 鈥渧ulnerable鈥� on the World Conservation Union鈥檚 Red List of threatened species.
The announcement 鈥渉as massively raised the bar for minkes, while it鈥檚 just not clear how scientifically relevant any information from those 50 humpbacks will be,鈥� says Nick Gales of the Australian Antarctic Division, a representative on the IWC鈥檚 scientific committee.
