I.W.C. results

Press, 12 August 1980, Page 3

I.W.C. results

PA Wellington '1 he results of the recent annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission were “very much a

i mixture,” said the Minister lof Foreign Affairs (Mr Tallboys) yesterday. ; “On the one hand the I.W.C. adopted decisions leading to a general reduction of whale quotas and the cessation of whaling for some stocks and species such as the orcas. “But ’on the other hand none of the moratorium proposals on the commission’s agenda succeeded in attracting the three-quarters majority necessary for their adoption,” Mr Taiboys said. “On balance, however, it can be said that the commission did succeed in making further progress towards the ultimate goal of a cessation of whaling.” One of the more important achievements of the meeting for New Zealand was the decision on pirate whaling, Mr Taiboys said. The I.W.C. adopted without a vote the New Zealand suggestion that a working group be established to study the pirate whaling problem. “The establishment of the working group, which New Zealand has agreed to chair, is the first step in what could be a long fight to eradicate this abhorrent activity,” Mr Taiboys said.