 The
Government of Japan officially submitted proposals to the Secretariat
of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) for changes in the classification of Northern Hemisphere
minke whales and Northern Pacific Bryde's whales from Appendix I to
Appendix II at its coming 12th Conference of Parties set for November
3-15 in Santiago, Chile.
Appendix I includes
all species threatened with extinction which are or may be affected
by trade, whereas Appendix II includes all species which although
not necessarily now threatened with extinction may become so unless
trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation
in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.
Trade in specimens
of Appendix I species must be subject to particularly strict regulation
in order not to endanger further their survival, while those of Appendix
II are allowed to be subject to some extent of trading.
Japan believes
that the two species which they have proposed are not threatenend
with extinction and can sustain international trade.
 Along
with the downlisting proposals, Japan presented two draft resolutions
to the CITES Secretariat: one on the relations between CITES and the
International Whaling Commission (IWC) and the other on the relations
between U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and CITES.
In the first
resolution, Japan calls that changes in CITES Appendices as they apply
to cetaceans should be made based on scientific information and CITES
criteria and only controlled trade in whale products should be allowed
among IWC member States.
In the second,
Japan stresses that FAO and regional fisheries management organizations
are appropriate bodies responsible for management of fisheries, and
the work of FAO on CITES Appendix criteria for commercial species
should be respected to
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the greatest possible extent. The COP12 will be participated in by
some 155 member states, as well as international organizations and
non-governmental organizations.
Norway Resumes Whale Meat
Export to Iceland
Norway recently exported a total of 8 tons of minke whale meat and
blubber to Iceland, which marked its resumption of whale products
after 14 years of suspension.
Norway, which had lodged formal objection to the IWC's 1982 commercial
whaling moratorium, re-started its whaling activities in 1993, and
announced its intention to resume exports last January.
According to
informed souces, the United States and Britain, two of the leading
anti-whaling countries tried to persuade Norway to reconsider its
planned exports, but they had to admit that Norway's action would
not technically violate the regulations of the IWC and CITES because
both Norway and Iceland had registered reservations to CITES's decision
to place minke whales on its Appendix I designed to prohibit any trade
in the species in question.
Since its announcement
last January, Norway took careful actions to put in order the related
domestic legislations, established stringent regulations on trading,
and used ample time for negotiations with Iceland. Norway also introduced,
for the first time, the DNA registration system in trading which would
enable confirmation of the country of origin of whale products in
the market of the importing country.
Norway's current
inventory of whale products reportedly exceeds 1,000 tons. Its minke
whale catch quota for this year has been set at 671, and so far about
550 whales have been captured by 35 small whaling fleets. |
