Whale quotas agreed

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32956, 30 June 1972, Page 9

Whale quotas agreed

(N.Z. Press A««n.—Cop»riaht> LONDON, June 29. The technical committee of the International Whaling Commission (LW.C.) today agreed on quotas for 1972-1973 catches of finback and sei whales. Conference sources, however, said that these quotas could be overruled arid a moratorium declared on all whale hunting if the United States proposal to this effect were adopted at tomorrow’s plenary session of the I.W.C, The sources said that .the chances of ' the moratorium’s being adopted still hung tn the balance and the United States was lobbying strongly for its adoption by the !4nation conference. The committee set the Antarctic quota, for 5000 sei whales and 2000 finbacks. The sei quota is equivalent to 833 blue whale units and the finback to 1000 blue whale units. . In the past the blue whale unit has been used as a broad yardstick to measure catches of the various species of whales in' the Antarctic.

This has sometimes led to a certain species being hunted more than others. The blue whale itself, the largest creaI ture that has ever lived on ' earth, is completely protected I from hunting. ■ This year the blue whale ' unit was abandoned at the in- ; sistence of the Soviet Union, which with Japan is the last of the world’s major whaling nations. The Soviet case was that whale species should be regarded in future as individual I species instead of coming under the blanket blue whale i unit classification. ; For finbacks, the Soviet ■ Union proposed a quota of i 2300. Japan seconded the proi posal. The United States, I seconded by Argentina, pro- , posed a complete ban on hunting this whale. Norway then proposed an . amended quota of 2000. Nal tions voting in favour of the . Norwegian amendment were: , Japan, the Soviet Union, > South Africa, Iceland, Nor- > way, Australia and Panama. The United States and Britain > voted against. Canada, Mexi l co, Argentina, France and ; Denmark abstained. f For seis, Japan proposed a quota of 5000 with the Soviet

Union seconding. The proposal was put to the vote and won the approval of Japan, the Soviet Union, South Africa, Iceland, Canada, Panama, Norway and Australia. The United States, Britain, Mexico, Argentina, France and Denmark abstained. Tomorrow, the LW.C. will decided oh whaling quotas for.the northern Pacific and on the 10-year moratorium on all whaling proposed by the United States. Delegates today, however, found it interesting that the United States abstained on the question oi hunting set As the conference met, British pet food makers said that they will phase out whalemeat as an ingredient in their products ’ and have decided to place np furthet orders for it. The- news came in a- lettet from the British Pet Foods Manufacturers’ Association to the international Whaling Commission. ' The association’s letter is a further indication of the British industry’s concern about world whale stocks. British pet food manufacturers have already 7 scaled down purchases Of whalemeat in recent years.