Whaling nations block progress on animal welfare at IWC

Whaling nations block progress on animal welfare at IWC

Jersey, UK 11th of July 2011- Today whaling nations at the International Whaling Commission rejected recommendations derived from an expert Animal Welfare and Ethics workshop sponsored by WSPA and tabled by the United Kingdom.

The recommendations included the formation of an intersessional working group mandated to inform the IWC towards a more scientific and objective approach for addressing animal welfare issues, such as entanglements in fishing gear, ship strikes, badly managed whale watching, as well as whale hunting and the ethics of lethal scientific research.

Despite considerable support from many countries, including Australia, Argentina and Mexico, the whaling nations blocked consensus on the formation of an official IWC intersessional group. The UK expressed disappointment at this but offered to continue the discussion with interested countries outside of the IWC.

WSPA’s Oceans campaign leader, Claire Bass, expressed that WSPA finds it extremely disappointing that the on-going conflict in the IWC has prevented progress on the fundamentally important issue of animal welfare. “The UK’s animal welfare proposal was grounded in good science and rational principles enshrined in other management fora so it’s deeply disappointing that the whaling nations have seen fit to derail this initiative,” she said.

“It’s sadly symptomatic of the current state of the IWC: whilst pro-conservation members are being peaceable and constructive, the whaling nations have their swords drawn and are bent on blocking progress. WSPA encourages the UK and others to continue to champion this vital work in spite of unreasonable opposition from the whaling countries,” she concluded.

-ENDS-

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