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| Sperm whales are among target species for Japan's research whaling |
TheInternational Whaling Commission passed a measure intended to increasetransparency and address allegations of vote-buying. But this comes at the costof scuttling a proposal to increase civil society participation.
On theChannel Island of Jersey, the annual meeting of the International WhalingCommission, or IWC, was dominated by discussion over the proposal to eliminatecash payments for membership dues.
Proposed bythe United Kingdom and backed by a number of countries including Germany, theproposal passed through a rare consensus decision.
Conservationgroups hailed the passage. "It's a huge success," said NikolasEntrup, head of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society in Germany, WDCS.
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| German WDCS head Nikolas Entrup |
But Entrupalso criticized the commission, and especially a European Union bloc within it,for its failure to allow non-governmental organizations greater participation.
Andpolarization within the commission is affecting its ability to make decisions,said Despina Simons of the European Bureau for Conservation and Development.
As thecommission's deliberations concluded, some NGOs continue to question both thelegitimacy of current whaling, and the commission's effectiveness incontrolling it.
Vote-buying
It'sbelieved that payment of membership dues in cash allowed wealthy countries withstrong pro- or anti-whaling interests to purchase the votes of other nations.
Japan, acountry with an appetite for seafood, including whales, was accused of havingbought the votes of smaller – and poorer – nations.
Aninvestigative report published in the Sunday Times claimed that Guinea, forexample, not only receives financial support to vote on the IWC with Japan, butthat Japan also recruited it onto the commission in the first place, in orderto add to its voting power.
The reportalso alleges that Japan paid Guinea's nearly 9,000-euro membership fee to thecommission, as well as covering travel costs.
The SundayTimes previously reported that the UK paid Belize's IWC dues of around 11,000euros when its membership had lapsed. Belize then cast a decisive vote with ananti-whaling bloc.
Japaneseacademic Atsushi Ishii told Deutsche Welle that vote-buying was "verylikely," but added, "I would not call it corruption."
Moretransparency, less participation
The27-nation EU, acting as a bloc, helped win over the rare consensus decision fortransparency in membership fees among the 89 countries that belong to the IWC.
Dues forthe commission must now be paid via bank transfer from government accounts.
This will"very strongly prevent the selling of votes" on the commission,Entrup told Deutsche Welle.
ChrisButler-Stroud, chief executive the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society,indicated that countries' knowing where the money has come from could allow forbetter conservation of whales. "There's no place for anyone to criticizethat," Shroud said.
But theconservation group did criticize Denmark for blocking a part of the propositionaimed at allowing more civil society participation.
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| Greenland wants to increase aboriginal subsistence quotas for humpack whales |
The UKproposal had also suggested that NGOs be allowed to add their views atcommission meetings more often. But Denmark, acting on behalf of Greenland,refused to agree to the membership fees point until the NGO speaking suggestionhad been dropped.
"Onecountry should not be able to block 26," Entrup asserted. "Thisabsolutely goes against democracy and consensus," Entrup said, alsopointing out that Greenland is not an EU member.
Greenlandwants to increase quotas for indigenous subsistence whaling, although whaleconservation groups claim this is a backdoor for it to gain commercial whalingcapacity.
Status ofwhales
Many whalepopulations around the world were severely depleted by hunting over previouscenturies.
TheInternational Whaling Commission has upheld a ban on commercial whaling since1982. Killing whales for scientific research purposes, and indigenoussubsistence, continues to be allowed.
The IWC, inreviewing of the status of global whale stocks during this year's meeting,described how some populations of blue and humpback whales seem to berecovering, although other populations such as that of the criticallyendangered North Atlantic right whale suffered a number of ship strikes andentanglements in 2010.
Thescientific committee for the commission also reported that more data are neededon Antarctic minke whales, and a gray whale population off the coast of Russiawhere oil and gas activities are currently taking place. In addition, the IWChailed a new survey program, which has begun its second ocean foray.
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| Critics say polarization within the commission adds to difficulties in decision-making |
A reportthis month from the Environmental Investigation Agency and the Whale andDolphin Conservation Society asserts that an Icelandic company is engaging inillegal trade of whale products, in clear violation of international law andIWC rules.
"Thewhaling commission would be well advised to devote themselves to the problem ofthe annual killing of hundreds of whales and the increasing trade in whaleproducts," WDCS head Entrup said.
ThatIceland appears to not be heeding the ban on commercial whaling points to adeeper problem within the commission: its lack of enforcement power.
Crisis oflegitimacy?
DespinaSimons from the European Bureau for Conservation and Development said thatpolarization within the IWC is making it increasingly difficult for thecommission to reach decisions.
"Thewhole thing has become so polarized, the pro-whaling and anti-whaling countriestrying to bring in new countries, new votes," Simons told Deutsche Welle.
Areas oftrust that have broken down add to friction, which distracts the commissionfrom looking at conservation, Butler-Stroud said.
Thepolarization fuels a perception that the IWC is becoming dysfunctional – whichaffects its credibility as well, Ishii indicates.
"Ithink the countries still have some possibility to slow down the credibilitydeficit, by for example agreeing on a Southern Atlantic Sanctuary," Ishiistated.
In the end,Entrup thinks the commission must be given enforcement powers, which would makeits decisions truly binding.
"TheIWC needs to be given teeth – protection on paper isn't good enough."
Author:Sonya Angelica Diehn / Robin Powell
Editor: Anke Rasper
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| The whaling body finds itself entangled in conflict - some would say hopelessly so |
