Whaling nations break ranks as end in sight

Press, 27 July 1983, Page 20

Whaling nations break ranks as end in sight

By

DIANA DEKKER,

in London

The thirty-fifth meeting of the International Whaling Commission, which has just finished in Brighton, saw the final disintegration of the block vote of the whaling nations, said the adviser to the New Zealand delegation, Mr Mike Donoghue. After an all-night session which finished at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, the commission decided to reduce quotas by about 2500, and for the first time in the commission’s 36-year history, total quotas dropped below 10,000 to 9875. The most significant feature, Mr Donoghue said, had been the announcement by Peru that it would withdraw its objection to the ban on commercial whaling, due to take effect in 1986. In return, Peru was allowed to keep its present quotas for Bryde’s whales for 1984, with a slight reduction for 1985. Peru’s decision to quit whaling leaves Norway, the U.S.S.R. and Japan as the only nations objecting to the ban.

The Norwegian quota for minke whales was, on the advice of the commission’s scientific committee, reduced from 1690 to 635, despite a strong effort by the European nations to raise the catch limit to 885.

Such a huge reduction will pose enormous problems for the Norwegian whaling industry, Mr Donoghue said. Their commissioner warned that the Government reserved the right to object to the decision. Brazil and Korea received more lenient treatment, on the understanding that they will abide by their commitments to abandon whaling by 1986. Most of the final agreements were reached in secret commissioner’s meetings, with the decisions adopted in plenary sessions by concensus. A notable ex-

ception to this was the Kotracted debate on the whead whale, an endangered species hunted by Alaskan Eskimos under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of the Interior. Five separate votes, four hours of tense negotiation and three commissioners’ meetings were necessary before an agreement was eventually reached at 3.30 a.m. The final agreement allowed for a two-year quota of 43 whales, with a maximum of 27 in any one year. Conservationists were

generally satisfied with the outcome, particularly the announcement by Chile that it has decided to cease ’ whaling this season and Peru’s withdrawal of its objection to the moratorium. There was general concern, however, that next year’s meeting, to be held at Buenos Aires, will see a concerted effort by the few remaining whaling nations to head off the 1986 ban. The New Zealand delegation, which was led by Mr lan Stewart, also included Mr J. Ludbrook and Mr Donoghue.