 The
54th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Shimonoseki,
western Japan, closed its 5-day session on May 24, 2002, with its
stalemate remaining but pro-whaling groups gaining steady ground in
voting.
The meeting was
attended by representatives from 48 nations and numbers of inter-governmental
and non-governmental organizations, as well as the press from varoius
countries. Benin, Gabon, Mongolia, Portugal, Republic of Palau and
San Marino joined the organization as new members.
Addressing the
opening session, Mr. Tsutomu Takebe, Japanese Minister of Agriculture,
Forestry and Fisheries said: "When we discuss whales and whaling,
we tend to view the matter in a dualistic manner, disputing whether
they should be protected or used. In my opinion, what we should really
consider is how to make sustainable use of robust and healthy whale
stocks without adversely affecting them, while protecting the depleted
and endangered ones. In fact, this is Japan's fundamental policy on
whaling and whale resources.
" The long-awaited
completion of the Revised Management Scheme--a system to allow well-controlled
and sustainable whaling on abundant species on the basis of science--
was once again postponed because of the delaying
| Greeting
from Publisher |
| We
are pleased to present to you the first
issue of the JWA News which is aimed to provide
specific facts related to whales and
whaling. It is our hope that this newsletter
will help you improve your understanding of
the whaling issue. |
Keiichi
Nakajima
President,
The Japan Whaling Association |
|
|
 |
(Photo:
Minister Takebe addressing the opening
session of the 54th IWC annual meeting. ) |
tactics by anti-whaling
countries, who put out excessive demand for its implementation such
as financial burdens to be borne by the whaling countries in observer
programs,
DNA registration, monitoring of whale meat distribution routes and
killing method. Japan's request for a provisional quota of 50 minke
whales was turned down for the 15th consecutive year but the voting
on this issue showed the support votes coming very close to a simple
majority with 20-21.
One of the bright
signs at this meeting was the IWC's
approval on the membership contribution issue in which reduced rate
will be applied to developing countries, paving the way for broader
participation by countries interested in the sustainable use of wildlife
resources.
The next IWC
meeting will be held in Berlin in June next year. |
