Australia rejects commercial whaling


Australia will reject commercial whaling in any form, its Environment Minister, Malcom Turnbull, told a media conference during the International Whaling Commission meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, last month.

Japan had presented a compromise proposal not to kill humpback whales in return for Australia’s support for commercial whaling off Japanese coastal villages.

Turnbull, The Australian reported, condemned Japan’s proposal to kill 50 humpback whales next year, describing it as a “provocative” action.

He called on Japan to drop its planned slaughter of humpbacks, warning it could seriously affect perceptions of Japan in Australia.

Turnbull added that Australia would not support the resumption of commercial whaling in any guise.

When this edition went to press, the meeting was still being held and nations were preparing to vote on Japan’s attempt to overturn the 21-year moratorium on commercial whaling.

WWF, the global conservation organisation, on the eve of the meeting urged Pacific Islands governments to take a responsible and united position towards the protection of the region’s dwindling whale populations at the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

Commercial whaling has been banned since 1986 to enable populations of whales to recover following excessive hunting.

“The potential long-term benefits of protecting whales outweigh the short-term gain Pacific Islands countries might receive to support the commercial whaling plans of some countries,” Penina Solomona, WWF South Pacific Programme’s Regional Marine officer, says.

During the last meeting of the IWC, a number of Pacific Islands Countries came under fire for having voted with pro-whaling nations on several issues.

Some pro-whaling nations are being accused of using development aid assistance and paying IWC membership fees to buy votes from some Pacific Islands Countries in support of lifting the ban.

A recent public opinion survey in Palau, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Marshall Islands indicated that a majority of people oppose the resumption of commercial whaling.

Most notably, the majority of people surveyed in Palau, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu also said they disagreed with their country’s support for the resumption of commercial whaling at previous IWC meetings.

A global annual estimate of revenue earned through whale watching has been approximated at US$1 billion.

This figure includes Tonga’s whale watching ventures, which earns the tiny Pacific Island nation an estimated US$500,000 per annum.

Commercial whaling would definitely pose a threat to the viability of whale watching businesses.

“WWF strongly encourages Pacific Islands governments to take a united position of responsibility for both the dwindling whale population and the potential for developing whale-related ecotourism in the region” Solomona said.

The region is home to four of the world’s endangered and vulnerable whale species.

Currently, nine Pacific Islands Countries already offer sanctuary to whales in their Exclusive Economic Zone—totalling to 28.15 million square kilometres of ocean.

“While this is a step in the right direction, the migratory nature of whales requires that they are protected throughout their entire range both in the breeding areas of the Pacific and in the feeding areas for many species in southern and Antarctic waters.”