[IMC-UK-Features] Feature Proposal: Arrests As International Whaling Commission Fails To Protect Whales

Thu Jun 26 02:37:35 PDT 2008

Hiya,

I'd like to propose the following feature (which I'll publish on the 
newswire in a sec) for the UK, Ocean Defence and Animal Liberation pages.

Cheers, Wietse

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Title: Arrests As International Whaling Commission Fails To Protect Whales

Image: http://santiago.indymedia.org/uploads/2008/06/un.detenido_mas.jpg

Abstract:

Fifteen people <a 
href="http://santiago.indymedia.org/news/2008/06/80720.php">were 
arrested</a> by police at a meeting of the International Whaling 
Commision (IWC), held this year in Santiago, Chile. The protesters were 
supposedly trying to 'storm' the meeting but other reports state that 
the mere presence of people in front of the meeting's venue was seen as 
a 'security threat'.

The IWC meets annually to regulate the whaling industry and make 
decisions on conservation of whale populations. So far the meeting 
hasn't reached any agreements and the commission continues to be 
strongly devided between the pro- and anti-whaling nations. Skye 
Bortoli, an activist from Teens Against Whaling described the meeting 
this year as 'pathetic', saying "this body will be known in the 
future as a small group of ecologically arrogant people who are 
condemning the world’s whales to agony and oblivion for petty politics 
and a few lousy bucks."

Related Audio: <a href="/en/2008/06/400970.html">Sea 
Shepherd Captain Paul Watson Talks in London</a> | <a 
href="/en/2008/03/394914.html">Interview With Nottingham Activist On 
Return From Whale Saving Mission</a>

Related Newswire: <a 
href="/en/2008/05/399372.html">Iceland Defies Moratorium On Commercial 
Whaling - Whale Hunt Started</a> | <a 
href="/en/2008/05/398501.html">Norway Starts Whale Hunting Season</a>

Previous Features: <a 
href="/en/2008/04/396478.html">Armed Canadian Coast Guard Storms 
Conservation Vessel</a> | <a href="/en/2008/03/394930.html">Nottingham 
Activist Returns From Whale Saving Mission In Antartica</a> | <a 
href="/en/2008/03/393165.html">Injured Among Sea Shepherd Crew As 
Japanese Military Open Fire</a> | <a 
href="/en/2008/01/389842.html">Activists Held Hostage By Japanese 
Whalers In Southern Ocean</a>

Links: <a href="http://www.iwcoffice.org">IWC official 
website</a> | <a href="http://www.teensagainstwhaling.com/">Wikipedia on 
IWC</a> | <a href="http://www.teensagainstwhaling.com/">Teens Against 
Whaling</a> | <a href="http://seashepherd.org">Sea Shepherd Conservation 
Society</a> | <a 
href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans">Greenpeace</a> 
| <a href="http://santiago.indymedia.org">Santiagi Indymedia</a> | <a 
href="/en/topics/oceans/">Indymedia Ocean Defence</a>

Body:

The IWC meets annually. It set limits on whale hunts around the world, 
decides on issues of conservation and 'regulates' the industry. This 
year like many a year before the IWC fails to make progress in their 
protection of whales. Japan and other pro-whaling nations push for a 
partially lifting of the ban on commercial whaling. Also, the US (who 
have been involved with Japans whaling industry) has been pushing for 
the regulation of 'scientific whaling', something which conservations 
argue would only legitimize an already illegal activity. Japan uses the 
'scientific research' as a smokescreen for their illegal commercial 
whaling practices.

There has been a debate about whether Greenland should be allowed a 
bigger quota of whales for their hunt and discussions are ongoing about 
Japan's hunt in the Southern Ocean. It has been reported that the 
earliest the IWC might come to some kind of agreement is by next year's 
meeting, which is to be held in Madeira, Portugal. The commission 
continues to be strongly devided between pro-whaling (Japan, Denmark, 
Norway, Iceland) and anti-whaling nations (Australia, United Kingdom, 
New Zealand, South Africa).

Captain Paul Watson from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society did 
manage to get into the hotel this year. He normally never makes it 
inside as the Sea Shepherd is the only organisation officially banned 
from attending IWC meetings. Paul, like Skye Bortoli isn't impressed 
with the state of affairs at this year's meeting: "There were many 
things that could come out of this meeting. Japan could withdraw from 
the IWC and become a renegade whaling nation along with their partners 
in conservation crime Norway and Iceland. Or a compromise may be 
brokered that will allow the Japanese to withdraw from the Southern 
Ocean without losing face or thirdly and most likely nothing will come 
out of this meeting at all. From the way things are going so far it 
looks like Sea Shepherd will be returning to the Southern Ocean to once 
again enforce the regulations that the IWC and the nations of the world 
refuse to uphold. Oh well, I come to these meetings with no expectations 
hoping to be pleasantly surprised. After more than three decades I am 
still waiting."

Greenpeace was also present in Chili, with a dominant presence among the 
various anti-whaling NGO's and conservationists. Dave writes on the 
Greenpeace blog: "We hope something good comes out of these 
meetings, and that the commission transforms itself into a body that 
protects the whales and not the whalers. While commissioners sit in 
rooms talking, whales are still dying in the Southern Ocean and around 
the world from commercial whaling, ship strikes, sonar-related deaths, 
netting and pollution amongst other human-induced hazards."

On a positive note, Chili, the host of this year's meeting has declared 
a permanent ban on whaling in its waters. Speaking at a former whale 
processing plant that Chile closed in 1967, President Michelle Bachelet 
said he sent a bill to Congress proposing a whale sanctuary along 
Chile's coastline and declared the whale a national monument.