Call for 10-year ban on whaling

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33261, 26 June 1973, Page 15

Call for 10-year ban on whaling

(N.Z.P.A .-Reuter—Copyright)

LONDON, June 25.

Officials from 14 nations gathered in London today to discuss whether whales should still be hunted—and if so how many should be caught.

The question of a total moratorium on whale catching is again expected to be put before the officials when they meet for the 25th annual conference of the International Whaling Commission (1.W.C.).

But the moratorium move is almost certain to be thrown out, just as it was last year.

Commission scientists say that the whale is largely recovering from the degradations of hunters earlier in the century which drove some species close to extinction.

This view is challenged by i conservationist groups who. say the whale is worse off| than the scientists admit and is in need of protection. Only six of the I.W.C. nations now do any whaling. They are Japan, the Soviet Union, Norway, Australia, South Africa and Iceland. The other members are the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Argentina, Mexico, Canada, Panama, and Denmark. A half-page advertisement in “The Times” newspaper this morning called on conference delegates to vote for a 10-year moratorium on commercial whaling. Its signatories included Prince Bernhard of the; Netherlands as president of the World Wildlife Fund International and the Duke of Edinburgh, as president of the World Wildlife Fund British national appeal and

the Australian Conservation Foundation. Others are Commander Jacques Cousteau, Dr Thor Heyerdahl, and Dr Sicco Mansholt. The advertisement said in part: "We think that in the name of human dignity the killing should stop, at least until whale products are shown to be essential to human survival and a humane capture technique has been devised.”