2009-10-27

Greenland Puts Off Humpback Vote

At the 61^st annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in June 2009, a vote on Greenland’s proposal to increase its aboriginal subsistence whaling quota by ten humpback whales a year was deferred.  With many countries concerned about several aspects of the proposal - not least that the products of whales taken for subsistence are widely commercialised - the vote was postponed to later in 2009.

The IWC Secretariat has just announced that the vote will be deferred again, probably to early March 2010 when the IWC is expected to meet to discuss a package of measures that is currently being developed behind closed doors to address Japan’s renegade scientific whaling (link to article a couple of days ago).

WDCS continues to oppose Greenland’s proposal and believes that, even with the further postponement of the vote, a decision on the proposal in March remains premature. Sue Fisher, Whaling Programme leader notes, “Greenland has a lot of work to do to satisfy the IWC that its whaling meets the requirements of the IWC; this will take more than a few months. For example, it needs to provide details of the amount of meat it harvests from each whale and address a high level of wastage. It also needs to provide a properly documented proposal setting out who actually needs the whale meat”. The IWC grants an exemption to the commercial whaling moratorium for hunts by indigenous people for their subsistence needs. Fisher continues, “Greenland’s extensive commercialisation of whale meat, frozen and vacuum sealed in supermarkets and available to everyone, including tourists, suggests that subsistence needs are already met and a surplus exists”. Greenland now has until March to provide the IWC with evidence that its current quota of 125 minke whales, 19 fin whales and 2 bowhead whales is insufficient to meet its subsistence needs.

One particular concern discussed but not resolved at the June 2009 meeting was the level of wastage in Greenland’s whale hunts. Data provided by Greenland’s own scientists to the Scientific Committee indicated that at least half of the meat from each minke whale is wasted and over 80% of each fin whale. A small group of scientists led by the Secretariat has met since the annual meeting to review relevant data and provide advice to the Commission on the amount of meat expected to be yielded by each species. Its report is expected shortly.