 WHEREAS
the Scientific Committee of the IWC, the governing body of the ICRW,
has found that limited harvests of certain whale stocks is scientifically
justified and would have no adverse impact on those populations; and
WHEREAS
certain coastal and island nations are currently undertaking legal
limited harvest of nonendangered whale stocks under scientific guidelines
for valid scientific research and for human food consumption, as these
nations have done for thousands of years;
NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED that the SUSTAINABLE USE PARLIAMENTARIANS UNION
(SUPU) urges nations that are Parties to the International Convention
for the Regulation of Whaling (IWC) and the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES):
To recognize
and support the cultural, economic and dietary traditions of island
and coastal nations that seek to undertake limited harvest of non-endangered
whale species;
To be guided
in their deliberations at the Annual Meeting of the IWC and the Conference
of the Parties of CITES by evidence of scientific research whaling
and not political agendas; and
To permit sovereign
nations to undertake limited harvest of renewable wildlife and marine
resources without threat of economic sanctions and censure. |
| Japan's
Local Autonomies
Adopt Declaration
on Regional Community
and Whales |
Reflecting
the nationwide interest in the whaling issue on the occasion of the
54th Annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Shimonoseki,
the National Summit of Local Autonomies on Regional Community and
Whales held its first meeting on May 20, at which it adopted the following
Declaration.
1. We should strengthen and implement the whale catch research
program in the waters surrounding Japan in order to manage the marine
ecosystem, including fish and whales, in a comprehensive manner;
2. We should pay due respect to the coastal whaling in Japan
which represents one of the ideal means of utilizing riches of the
sea and which is closely related to regional culture and tradition,
and should prompt an early resumption of such whaling;
3. We should confirm that whales, a living resource nurtured
in the midst of bountiful Nature, constitute one of the healthiest
foods for mankind;
4. We should ensure that our regional communities having a
close relation with whaling can engage in whaling with pride at the
earliest possible occasion. |
