Smaller Caribbean Community (Caricom) member-states involved in whaling put up a strong defense of their pro-whaling stance and have invited the larger territoriesTrinidad & Tobago, Jamaica and Guyanato join them at the international level in promoting and defending the sustainable use of the regions renewable marine and wildlife resources at the Regional Symposium on Sustainable Use held in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago, for two days from March 9, 2004.
 The conference was hosted by the Government of Trinidad & Tobago and funded by the Eastern Caribbean Cetacean Commission (ECCO).
The symposium, declaredopen by Trinidad & Tobagos President, Maxwell Richards, was attended by eight Fisheries Ministers from across the Caricom region. Ten countriesAntigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, St.Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis, Suriname and Trinidad & Tobagosent their official delegations to the symposium.
In this issue
| Caribbean States Defend Whaling |
..............1 |
| ICFA Urges Halt of Moratorium |
..............2 |
| Japan, ASEAN Agree on Whaling |
..............3 |
| 2 Japanese sighting boats to Antarctic |
..............3 |
| Tokyo Symposium on Whaling Culture |
..............3 |
| Hatanaka to Head ICR |
..............4 |
| New large whale species discovered |
..............4 |
|
|
|
The smaller member-states of the subregional OECS (Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States) that are members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) have often been criticized by developed countries and regional and international NGOs (non-governmental organizations) for supporting Japans pro-whaling stance at the IWC.
Increasing cetaceans pose threat to fishermen
But speaker after speaker from the small islands told the symposium on the sustainable use of renewable resources that those engaged in whaling are doing so on a sustainable basis and pose no threat to any of the species extracted by their fishermen.
Some delegates pointed out that the increased whale stocks are actually beginning to threaten mankinds own fishing stocks. Citing one of St. Lucias negative experiences, Chief Fisheries Officer Vaughn Charles said the islands fishermen had been encouraged to use Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) to scientifically determine the level of extraction. But,Ehe added, these efforts are being hampered by whales and dolphins because they then come and eat the tunas and other fish caught in the FADs, thus becoming both a source of frustration and competition for our fishermen.Ebr>
(To be continued) |
![History of whaling](../image/histo.gif"){kind=small}
