CHAIR’S SUMMARY REPORT FOR THE 59TH ANNUAL MEETING,
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA MAY 2007 The 59th Annual Meeting of the International
Whaling Commission (IWC) took place at the Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage, Alaska
from 28 to 31 May 2007. It was chaired by Dr Bill Hogarth (USA). It was attended
by 73 of the 77 Contracting Governments. The associated meetings of the
Scientific Committee and Commission sub-groups were held at the same venue in
the period 7 to 25 May. A brief report of the outcomes of the main agenda items
is provided below. A full report including details of Commission discussions
will be available in the Chair’s Report of the 59th Annual Meeting.
PRESS RELEASE – DAY 4 – THURSDAY 31 MAY
The first item of business was the completion of discussions on the aboriginal
subsistence catch limits for Greenland. The full wording for the proposed catch
limits can be found
HERE.
These were adopted by vote (41 in favour, 11 against and 16 abstentions. The
proposal thus gained the necessary three-quarters majority. In summary the catch
limits agreed for the years 2008 – 2012 were:
- West Greenland fin whales: 19 struck per year
- West Greenland common minke whales: 200 struck per year, with
annual review by the Scientific Committee
- West Greenland bowhead whales: 2 strikes per year with annual
review by the Scientific Committee
- East Greenland common minke whales: 12 strikes per year
The Commission then completed its business on co-operation with other
international organisations. A
Resolution on the relationship with CITES was passed by 37 in favour and 4
against with 4 abstentions. 26 countries did not participate in the vote as they
believed it was inappropriate.
The Commission then turned to the issue of
small cetaceans. Notwithstanding
the different views of member countries over the legal competence of the IWC to
manage small cetaceans, many Contracting Governments continue to co-operate in
the consideration of small cetacean issues, particularly with respect to the
work of the Scientific Committee. This year the Committee discussed matters
related to killer whales, as well as reviewing progress on its previous
recommendations on species such as the critically-endangered vaquita and baiji.
The Committee was saddened to receive news that the baiji, a Chinese river
dolphin is probably extinct as a result of habitat degradation and incidental
capture. It was greatly concerned that a similar fate would meet the vaquita,
the smallest cetacean in the world that is found only in the upper Gulf of
California in Mexico. The Commission passed a
Resolution on this matter.
Before adopting the Report of the Scientific
Committee, the Commission reviewed and agreed its Workplan for the coming
year.
The Commission then endorsed the
Report of the Conservation Committee. Good
progress in addressing issues surrounding whales being killed or seriously
injured by ship strikes was made.
The Commission considered the
Report
of its Infractions Sub-committee. This sub-committee receives reports from
Governments concerning any breaches of whaling regulations discovered.
Next year’s meeting will be held in Santiago, Chile in the period 1 to 27 June
2008. The Commission plenary will be held from 23 to 27 June. The 2009 meeting
will be held in Madeira.
PRESS RELEASE – DAY 3 – WEDNESDAY 30 MAY
The Commission continued its discussion of the South Atlantic whale sanctuary.
Since opinion was divided on the merits or otherwise of the proposal, the matter
was put to a vote. Such a proposal requires a three-quarters majority. In the
event, it received 39 votes in favour, 29 votes against and 3 abstentions and
was thus not carried. The proposers thanked those countries that had supported
their proposal.
The Commission then returned to the question of catch limits for aboriginal
subsistence whaling off Greenland that had been left over from Day 2. Although
progress was made towards reaching consensus, the Chair allowed for further time
for negotiations.
The Commission then considered matters related to socio-economic implications
and small-type whaling. As in previous years, Japan gave a presentation on the
hardship suffered by its four community-based whaling communities in Japan (Abashiri,
Ayukawa, Wadaura and Taiji) as a result of the moratorium. It had developed a
proposal
to allow a catch for these communities. After discussion it was clear that
there was no consensus on this issue. The item was left open.
The Commission then turned its attention to the question of
special permit whaling. The Scientific
Committee had carried out a
review of
the 18 year JARPA programme at an intersessional workshop earlier this year.
Japan began a programme known as JARPA II after the completion of JARPA. Under
the lethal component of the programme in 2006/07, 505 Antarctic minke whales and
3 fin whales were caught. Japan also has a North Pacific programme under which a
total of 195 common minke, 50 Bryde’s, 100 sei and 6 sperm whales were caught in
2006. As part of its programme, Iceland took 58 common minke whales.
The issue of special permit whaling is controversial within the Commission and,
as in previous years, strong statements were made both for and against special
permit whaling. The Commission passed a
Resolution asking Japan to refrain from
issuing a permit for JARPA II by 40 votes in favour, 2 votes against and 1
abstention; 27 countries decided not to participate in the vote as they believed
that the submission of the proposal was not conducive to building bridges within
the Commission.
‘The Commission went on to discuss the question of safety at sea and protection
of the environment. After minor amendments,
a
Resolution on this was passed by consensus
After dinner, the Commission considered environmental and health issues. It
received the report of the Scientific Committee on a number of matters. The
Committee had held a workshop two-days prior to the main meeting discussing
infectious and non-infectious diseases of marine mammals and impact on
cetaceans. The Commission also welcomed plans for a second phase of the
POLLUTION 2000+, an IWC sponsored international research programme to examine
possible cause-effect relationships between chemical pollutants and cetaceans,
and a major workshop on climate change to be held in 2009.
The final issue covered was that of whalewatching, particularly its scientific
aspects. The Scientific Committee had received reports that showed that in some
circumstances, whalewatching and vessel traffic can have an adverse impact on
some populations and it encouraged action in terms of regulations and
compliance. It will hold a two-day workshop to develop a research framework for
whalewatching studies next year. The Commission adopted a
Resolution on the non-lethal use of whales with 42 votes in favour, 2
against and 2 abstentions; 20 countries did not participate in the vote because
they felt that with more time, a consensus resolution could have been developed.
PRESS RELEASE – DAY 2 – TUESDAY 29 MAY
This morning the Commission began its consideration of aboriginal subsistence
whaling. The report of its Sub-Committee on Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling can
be found
HERE.
The catch limits for these are usually set for five-year periods. Taking into
account the advice of the Scientific Committee, the Commission renewed the
following catch limits for a further 5 years.
(1) Bowhead whales of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas Stock (taken by
native people of Alaska and Chukotka)
A total of up to 280 bowhead whales can be landed in the period 2008 – 2012,
with no more than 67 whales struck in any year (and up to 15 unused strikes may
be carried over each year).
(2) Eastern North Pacific gray whales
A total catch of 620 whales is allowed for the years 2008 – 2012 with a
maximum of 140 in any one year.
(3) Humpback whales taken by St Vincent and The Grenadines
For the seasons 2008-2012 the number of humpback whales to be taken shall not
exceed 20.
Discussions on the Greenlandic fisheries are continuing.
This afternoon the Commission went on to discuss progress with the
Revised Management Procedure. The
Scientific Committee had completed its work on western North Pacific Bryde’s
whales and for the next two years will focus on North Atlantic fin whales. A
review of central and North Atlantic common minke whales will take place next
year.
The Commission kept open the agenda item on the
Revised Management Scheme and moved to an
item entitled ‘Future of the IWC’. Three non-IWC meetings of relevance were
referred to, one held in Tokyo organized by the
Government
of Japan, one held in New York organized by the
Pew
Foundation and one in Buenos Aires held by
Latin
American countries. The difficulties in reaching consensus when views within
the Commission are so polarized were recognized. However, many countries noted
that there was positive overlap in some of the suggestions made at the three
meetings. It was agreed that there was merit in pursuing intersessional work.
The details of that will be decided later in the meeting.
The Commission then went on to discuss a
proposal
to establish a South Atlantic Sanctuary within whose waters commercial
whaling would not be allowed. The discussions were not completed and will
continue tomorrow.
PRESS RELEASE – DAY 1 – MONDAY 28 MAY
Proceedings began on the first day with an opening ceremony organised by the
USA. The meeting was chaired by Dr William Hogarth, Chair of the Commission. An
opening prayer was given by Alberta Stephan, Elder, Native Village of Eklutna.
Speeches of welcome were given by: Mark Begich, the Mayor of Anchorage; Sarah
Palin, the Governor of the State of Alaska; Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher Jr,
Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere; Ted Stevens, United States
Senator, Alaska. The Committee was also entertained by Dance Groups from:
Barrow, Alaska, USA; Chukotka, Russian Federation; and the Makah Tribe,
Washington State, USA.
There are six new members to the Commission bringing the total to 76, of which
71 are present. The full list of member countries can be found
HERE.
On the opening morning, the main items were business items and the adoption of
the Agenda.
In the afternoon, the Commission turned to the
report of the Scientific Committee on the status of a number of large whale
stocks. New information was received on Antarctic minke whales, North Pacific
common minke whales, Southern Hemisphere humpback whales, Southern Hemisphere
blue whales and a number of other small stocks of bowhead, right and gray
whales. There was positive evidence of increases in abundance for several of the
stocks of humpback, blue and right whales in the Southern Hemisphere, although
they remain at reduced levels compared to their pre-whaling numbers. Information
remains lacking for other stocks.
Special attention was paid to the status of the endangered western North Pacific
gray whale, whose feeding grounds coincide with oil and gas operations off
Sakhalin Island, Russian Federation. The population numbers only about 120
animals and although there is evidence that it has been increasing at perhaps 3%
per year over the last decade, any additional deaths, for example in fishing
gear as has recently occurred, put the survival of the population in doubt. The
Commission agreed to work together to try to mitigate anthropogenic threats to
this endangered population.
Ship strikes and entanglements are also a threat to the endangered western North
Atlantic right whale population which numbers around 300. The Commission agrees
again that anthropogenic mortality should be reduced to zero as soon as
possible.
The Commission then went on to discuss co-operation with other international
organizations. It sees such co-operation as an important part of its work,
especially in the scientific arena.
Finally, the Commission received the
report
of its Working Group on Whale Killing Methods and Associated Welfare Issues.
This is an important component of its work and several countries provided
information on their hunts.
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