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Whaling critics win key vote
BERLIN, Germany -- Members of the International Whaling Commission have approved a controversial proposal calling for stricter measures to protect whales. IWC delegates voted 25 to 20 in favor of the proposal after a heated day-long debate at their annual meeting in Berlin Monday. Japan, one of the world's biggest whaling nations, had threatened to walk out of the four-day gathering in Berlin if the group adopted a 31-page proposal to form a committee aimed at "strengthening the conservation agenda." After the vote, the country said it would not participate in the committee and was considering withdrawing from IWC, Reuters reported. "We are strongly opposed to those who would suspend sustainable use for their own ideological purposes," Japanese delegate Masayuki Komatsuko told the news agency earlier Monday. The so-called "Berlin Initiative" calls for the IWC to work with global wildlife groups to improve protection of marine mammals. It also calls for the establishment of a committee to look at the problem of mammals becoming entangled in fishing nets, as well as examine issues such as toxins in the oceans, climate change and the impact on whales of sonar equipment. Japan argues that the proposal focuses too much on conservation at the expense of providing sustainable harvests for whaling nations. Animal protection groups say the measure would be the most decisive action by the commission to preserve whales since it imposed a global ban on commercial whaling in 1986. Despite the ban, Japan kills hundreds of whales annually under an IWC exemption for limited "research" hunts, The Associated Press reported. The government says the hunts help determine the impact of whale herds on fisheries stocks and provide data on their migration patterns and population trends. The dispute over stricter conservation measures has left the 50-nation IWC in a stalemate for the past few years. On one side of the issue are traditional whaling countries -- such as Japan, Iceland and Norway -- who want to limit the number of whales caught, but not outlaw the practice all together. "We consider this proposed item inappropriate and unfortunate," said Odd Gunner Skagestad, the leader of Norway's delegation. "We fear that this proposal will turn out to be yet another divisive issue which the commission could well do without." On the other side of the debate are the United States, Australia and many European Union countries whose economies do not rely on the whaling industry. However, many believe there is a need to do more to ensure the survival of the species. "The 21st century should open new and modern possibilities with utilization not by catching but by watching. I hope this will be the focus of this meeting, a strong and modern IWC aimed at the sustained utilization of natural resources," German Agriculture Minister Renate Kuenast said in an opening address. "People used to be afraid of nature and of supposed sea monsters. Nowadays, they are afraid for nature." Mexico, which strongly opposes whaling, said the IWC had become increasingly involved in conservation issues since its founding in 1946 and it was time to institutionalize that by forming a conservation panel. "It is about bringing the IWC up to date," Andreas Rosenthal, commissioner for Mexico, told Reuters. Meanwhile, a study published by the World Wildlife Fund before the IWC meeting began suggests that accidental captures may be the biggest immediate threat to whales' survival. The study, prepared by American and Scottish biologists, said more than 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises are believed to die unintentionally every year in fishermen's hauls, AP reported. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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