A crucial meeting of the International Whaling Commission
by orcalab
This year’s meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is shaping up as the most crucial in the history of the organisation, which was formed in 1946, and tasked with the role of protecting both whales and the whaling industry. In the years since 1946, the Commission has seen some species of great whales pushed to the brink of biological extinction, and others into “commercial” extinction, while the whaling industry, once so mighty, faded and almost died. In 1982, the IWC decided to impose an indefinite moratorium on commercial whaling, which has been helpful to the nascent recovery of some critically endangered species and populations. The full restoration of the role of whales in ocean ecosystems is still a long way off, and may never happen, but the signs of progress are encouraging. It comes as a shock, therefore, to realise that the whaling moratorium, which came as a beacon of hope for the environmental movement, and was so difficult to achieve, is now itself endangered. In Adagdir, Morocco, members of the IWC are now gathering, to consider allowing commercial whaling to resume, including in the Antarctic Whale Sanctuary. There is a significant probability that the Commission will agree. This blog will follow events as they unfold.
This meeting could bring the end of the whales. When you see the plans of the whaling nations how to use the whaleproducts everyone should be clear what their aim is. Hunting whales without any limit, without any restrictions concerning populations and regions. They want to start a huge campaign for hunt and trade and they NEVER would stop before the resource “whale” is gone, before the oceans are empty. The compromise would open the door for this developement those nations seem to have planned for a long time already. Cross fingers and pray that the IWC members recognize what is happening and chose the right decision: No commercial whaling again! No trade!
I am stunned to hear that the IWC that the commercial whaling moratorium is endangered, and may be rolled back. I urge the commission to re-affirm the moratorium, and those on the commission leaning towards rescinding the moratorium to reconsider and vote in favour of keeping it.
Many thanks for creating this blog, Paul & Helena, I can only hope the IWC will uphold the moratorium…. It seems (as with everything else in this world) it’s a question of money, the whaling countries are buying the votes of countries who couldn’t care less about whaling…. Please please PLEASE let them make the right decision and ban whaling forgood….
Thank you for your mail Paul and Helena. I was shocked to read about this in the news last night. It seems that the whaling nations are already planning what commodities they can produce from whale resources. After all the work that has been done to protect whales surely the whaling nations cannot be allowed to to start killing again. Please God, common sense will prevail in decisions made by IWC.
Unfortunately whaling is not presumed to be a criminal activity and for those nations who have or may be constrained from whaling, it is evidently a “lawful” economic activity the termination of which in their perceived interest should be fully compensated by those who would extirpate their economic rights. We can discuss compensation for the truly dislocated on compassionate grounds but we should not recognize whale murder as an economic entitlement and we should quickly move to criminalize whaling for the industrial scale inhumane depravity that it has become.
Michael\\ Victoria BC
Is there not any way that we , the lovers of whales can reach those that are considering ending the moratorium ?
For 17 years now, I have spent many summer days with the Southern Resident Orca Community of the Salish Sea. It is so clear to me just how important it is to our evolution as humans that the cetaceans’ sentience breaths in the seas of this precious planet.
Thank you for this blog , Helena and Paul.
MAY THEY
COME SIT WITH ME
IN THE TEMPLE OF HEART
SIT AND LOVE THE HUMANS AS THEY SIT AND CONSIDER OUR FRIENDS’ FATE
CONJOINED ,OUR THOUGHTS CAN SHINE A BEACON FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW HOW LOST THEY ARE
FROM THIS TEMPLE OF HEART
FREE OF SPACE-TIME
ALL ARE TOUCHED
SING LOUD YOUR LOVE
OF LIFE
OF WHALE
AND TREE
OF HUMANITY
MAY THEY SEE THE LIGHT
MAY THEY HEAR AND FEEL
MAY THEY KNOW
AND
DECIDE
TO
LET OUR FRIENDS’ SENTIENCE
CONTINUE TO BREATH THE SEAS ALIVE
International protest is urgently needed. You can send an e-protest to 4 key decision makers from the red WDCS logo. Please be a voice for whales now.
http://www.peggy-oki.co…m/environmt/urgent.html
Lyrics to The Song Of The World’s Last Whale by Pete Seeger:
I heard the song
Of the world’s last whale
As I rocked in the moonlight
And reefed the sail.
“It’ll happen to you
Also without fail
If it happens to me,”
Sang the world’s last whale.
It was down off Bermuda
Early last spring
Near an underwater mountain
Where the Humpbacks sing
I lowered the microphone
‘Bout a quarter mile down
Turned on the recorder
And let the tape spin ’round
I didn’t just hear grunting
I didn’t just hear squeaks
I didn’t just hear bellows
I didn’t just hear shrieks
It was the musical singing
And the passionate wail
That came from the heart
Of the world’s last whale.
Down in the Antarctic
There the harpoons wait
But it’s up on land
You decide my fate
In London town
They’ll be telling the tale
If it’s life or death
For the world’s last whale
So here’s a little test
To see how you feel
Here’s a little test
For this age of the automobile
If we can save
Our singers in the sea
Perhaps there’s a chance
To save you and me
I heard the song
Of the world’s last whale
As I rocked in the moonlight
And reefed the sail
“It’ll happen to you
Also without fail
If it happens to me,”
Sang the world’s last whale