JAPAN: The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission ended yesterday having agreed steps ecologists say will make the seas safer for the threatened giants, to the disgust of whaling nations.
The meeting blocked a bid by Japan to re-introduce commercial whaling, banned since 1986, and chastised Japan for the 700 whales it kills per year for scientific purposes.
It also angered Japan by agreeing to set up a conservation committee to advise on tackling threats to marine mammals, including pollution, climate change, sonar and fishing nets that environmentalists say trap and kill 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises per year.
The deeply polarised world body remained as divided as ever, yet it held together despite threats of walk-outs during the four days, and looks forward to a meeting in Italy next year when conservation of the planet's largest mammals will be part of the agenda.
Ecology groups hailed the committee plan as essential to preserving endangered whales and dolphins. The IWC had been shifted towards conservation and away from hunting, they said.
"This week has shaped the future of the IWC," said Susan Lieberman, head of the World Wildlife Fund's delegation.
"We're hopeful but not naive. I can't say there will no more unnecessary deaths."
Japan said it would consider its options, including pulling out of the IWC, but other whaling nations promised to return. "Our frustration has just increased," said Japanese delegate Masayuki Komatsu. - (Reuters)