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Day Two of the biennial meeting of the International Whaling Commission quickly got off to a disappointing start for the conservation community; the proposed South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary failed to be approved. The establishment of the sanctuary would have required a change to the charter of the IWC, and therefore would have needed a ¾ majority to pass. The proposal ended up with 38 yeas and 24 nays, along the expected “party lines.” Interestingly, Grenada and St. Vincent & The Grenadines abstained rather than voting against the proposal with the block of whaling countries. No whale will be killed as the result of this inaction; but it would have been a great step towards further curtailing commercial whaling and it would have meant a lot to Brazil, a country that is firmly establishing itself as a leader among the like-minded group of nations at the IWC.
Additionally, five resolutions were brought up for initial discussion today; none achieved a consensus meaning all seven resolutions (two were presented yesterday) are still open and will be acted on in the next couple of days. They Include the Draft Resolution on Food Security which prompts the IWC to take into account peoples’ right to an adequate food supply when making decisions; the Draft Resolution on the Creation of a Fund to Strengthen the Capacity of Governments of Limited Means to Participate in the Work of the IWC which calls for voluntary contributions to pay the dues of poor countries; the Draft Resolution on Cetaceans and Their Contributions to Ecosystem Functioning which acknowledges the important role that whales play in the environment; and the Draft Resolution on Minamata Convention, looks at the effects of mercury and other pollutants on human and cetacean health. Of special interest is the Draft Resolution on the Critically Endangered Vaquita. This resolution was submitted by the US and makes specific recommendations to the Government of Mexico to prevent the extinction of the critically endangered vaquita, including expansion and stronger enforcement of the gillnet ban currently in place. There is a strong sentiment held by many IWC member nations that this body should only address issues facing large whale species, but this resolution garnered strong support despite addressing a “small cetacean.” Japan and the Russian Federation offered to abstain in order to not stand in the way of a possible consensus. A long time was spent on the progress report of the Resolution on Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling passed in 2014, which seeks to establish criteria for dealing with this issue. It is particularly important because the US is one of four nations with recognized native subsistence hunts (Greenland, Russia and St. Vincent & The Grenadines are the others) and the quotas are up for renewal in 2018. In the past, pro-whaling nations have used this issue as leverage to advance their agendas. Having clear guidelines in place will go a long way towards avoiding political maneuvering in the future. The full text of all resolutions can be found on the IWC website, https://iwc.int/day-two-at-the-iwc The day ended with a reception hosted by the NGOs present at the meeting. It was a fund event and well attended, although most whaling nation representatives were no-shows. ACS Representative, Bernardo Alps
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American Cetacean SocietyThe mission of the American Cetacean Society is to protect whales, dolphins, porpoises, and their habitats through public education, research grants, and conservation actions.
ACS Representative, Bernardo AlpsCategories |