At harpoons drawn
the 54th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (iwc) proved to be a foamy five-day affair, keeping alive its tradition of controversies and disputes. Tempers frayed, opinions clashed and the outcome was a deadlock.
Though the meeting had a hectic agenda, the setbacks underlined the ever-deepening rift in the iwc. Nations eager to hunt whales and those wanting to protect them jostled for control over the regulatory body. Held from May 20-24, 2002, in the Japanese whaling port of Shimonoseki, the key issues included lifting of the ban on commercial hunting of whales, construction of whale sanctuaries and hunting by indigenous people.
Notably, the recent meet saw the strengthening of the whaling lobby with new countries joining Japan to heighten the pitch for commercial hunting. But hopes of widening the scope for whaling were dashed when the commission rejected Japan's plea for an expansion of their hunting activity. The decision was welcomed by conservationists as, apart from the 540 minke whales that Japan hunts every year for ostensible research purposes, it wanted the quota to be increased by 50. It added 50 Bryde's whales and 10 sperm whales to its hunting list in 2000. To further strengthen thewhaling lobby, Japan is alleged to have bought over votes of six Caribbean countries in exchange of aid.
The us, too, drew flak from both conservationists and the whaling lobby for adopting double standards. While it opposes whaling by indigenous communities in other countries, domestically it allows Makahs and Eskimos to hunt grey and bow-headed whales, respectively. This in spite of the endangered status of both these varieties. Consequently, the proposal for extension of the current quota for another five years by Russia and the us was denied by the iwc. "Almost three days were wasted on the issue,' said S C Sharma, director-general, wildlife, Union ministry of environment and forests, who represented India at the meet. "Now, if Japan speaks up against whaling indulged in by Russia and the us, it is justified in doing so,' he added.
Sadly, the revised management scheme (rms) to regulate whaling was drowned in the din of the us-Japan spat. Its adoption