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Gov.Asano
addressing at the IWC
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This
year Japan requested catch of 150 each of minke and Bryde’s
whales under commercial whaling quota. The rationale given
by Japan in these proposals were that (1) its request for a
provisional quota of 50 minke whales for hardship-stricken
small-type coastal whaling communities has been refused by
the IWC for 15 consecutive years, and that (2) in view of the
fact that no agreement has been reached on the RMS because
of the opposition from anti-whaling countries, the RMS should
be applied on regional and stock-by-stock basis to prove its
efficacy. Pro-use members valued a constructive step while
the anti-whaling bloc insisted that the whaling quota should
be established by the IWC and it should come after the RMS
is completed. Japan's request for minke whale quota was defeated
with 19 in support, 26 against and one abstention, and that
for Bryde’s with 17 in support, 27 against and one abstention.
Governor
Shiro Asano of Miyagi Prefecture, northern Japan, made presentation
at the meeting on the Declaration adopted on May 26, 2003, at
the 2nd Summit of Local Autonomies related to Whaling.
The 56th annual meeting is slated for July in Sorrento, Italy, and the 57th meeting
will take place in Ulsan in the Republic of Korea. |
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SUPU Urges the IWC to Recognize
Sustainable Harvest of Whale Species
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The
Sustainable Use Parliamentarians Union (SUPU) urged the IWC member
States to
act on the IWC, among other things, to complete
the Revised Managment Scheme for resumption of sustainable harvest
of the whale species at their general meeting in Berlin on June 15,
2003. The SUPU meeting was attended by delegates from 15 countries
advocating sustainable use of marine living resources, including
whales. Mr. Yoshimasa Hayashi, member of Japan’s House of Councillors,
served as chairman of the meeting.
The following is a full text of the resolution adopted by the participants.
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RESOLUTION ON SUSTAINABLE USE
WHEREAS, the Sustainable Use Parliamentarians Union (SUPU) recognizes and supports the sustainable use of renewable wildlife and marine resources based on scientific advice and proper management; and
WHEREAS, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 1992 United Nation's Earth Summit and the 1995 Kyoto Declaration and Plan of Action on the Sustainable Contribution of Fisheries to Food Security recognize that marine resources are to be managed to secure food for human nutritional needs as well as recognizing traditional and cultural needs; and |
SUPU meeting in Berlin
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WHEREAS, the International Convention for the Regulation
of Whaling (ICRW) provides for the consumptive use of renewable whale
resources
by "proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible
the orderly development of the whaling industry;" and
WHEREAS, the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission
(IWC) 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 peoples are currently undertaking legal limited
harvest of whale stocks to satisfy nutritional and cultural need while
others are taking a limited number for scientific research in conformity
with the Convention (article III); and |
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