OceanCare will defend global efforts to protect whales at pivotal IWC meeting in Peru
OceanCare will defend the International Whaling Commission’s vitally important conservation work and the global ban on commercial whaling against renewed attacks from the pro-whaling lobby at the upcoming IWC meeting in Lima, Peru.
PRESS RELEASE – 20 September 2024
OceanCare will defend global efforts to protect whales at pivotal IWC meeting in Peru
- OceanCare will attend the upcoming 69th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to defend the Commission’s vitally important conservation work and the global ban against the commercial whaling lobby’s renewed attempts that try to to delegitimise or paralyse the IWC.
- Whaling lobbyists are influencing delegations from non-whaling countries to push their agenda against the successful conservation policies and activities of the IWC under the disguise of a makeshift food security debate. Meanwhile, other government officials, scientists and civil society organisations from Western and Central African countries have sharply condemned this attempt.
- OceanCare sees an urgent need to strengthen the conservation agenda of the IWC to address major threats whales and other cetaceans face globally.
Experts from the international marine protection organisation OceanCare will be attending the 69th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Lima, Peru from 23-27 September 2024. OceanCare will be working with pro-conservation governments to advocate for the adoption of resolutions that strengthen the conservation agenda of the IWC and to counter proposals trying to legitimise commercial whaling. It will also do everything in its power to defend the IWC’s whaling moratorium, one of the greatest successes in global animal species conservation.
Nicolas Entrup, Director of International Relations at OceanCare said:
“OceanCare is determined to oppose the renewed attempts of the pro-whaling camp to influence delegations from non-whaling countries to push their agenda against the successful conservation policies and activities of the IWC. The delegation of Antigua and Barbuda has once again submitted a proposal to end the whaling moratorium. We have succeeded already in 2022 to repel the same initiative that was very apparently not supported by the country’s government. OceanCare has reached out to Antigua and Barbuda’s Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s office and with civil society in the country urging the government to withdraw the resolution.
“We know the lobby power behind this disturbing act is linked to Japan’s interest to erode the IWC. Japan has left the IWC in 2018 after failing to legalize commercial whaling. Now its whaling lobby keeps still pulling strings to delegitimise the global whaling ban and paralyse the IWC’s comprehensive programme of conservation work that has been highly successful in the protection of whales and dolphins worldwide.
“It is important that member states strengthen the IWC’s conservation efforts by adopting the resolution addressing commercial whaling tabled by the European Union Member States. They must also resolve governance and budgetary issues to safeguard the Commission's vital work.”
Protecting Whales in the South Atlantic – Countering the Makeshift Food Security Narrative
OceanCare will also support the establishment of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary, an initiative backed by South American nations to protect critical whale habitats. So far, a handful of West African countries, represented by their fisheries ministries, have maintained their opposition to this proposal.
Maximin Djondo, Aquatic Wild Life Conservation Expert for Western Africa at OceanCare and Executive Director of Benin Environment and Education Society (BEES NGO) explained:
“OceanCare supports the initiative of scientists, public administration officials and civil society in West and Central Africa to inform local communities and governments of the true impact of their positions within the IWC. Together with these local experts, OceanCare is calling on non-whaling African nations to reconsider and withdraw their support for pro-whaling resolutions. Whaling and the consumption of whale meat do not and would not contribute to food security in Africa.
“A key debate expected at the meeting is the issue of food security. Pro-whaling lobbyists argue that countries where whaling never has been a factor should start hunting whales, to cover their populations’ protein needs and blame the IWC for blocking this opportunity. This is a profoundly misleading narrative that must be rejected: Whales are not a food source in most regions, nor in any of those where the need for whale meat is claimed, particularly in West Africa. Current provisions and rules allow for subsistence whaling by indigenous communities where such cultural and subsistence needs have been recognized. The idea that the IWC denies food security is a misrepresentation. The food security narrative is nothing but a smokescreen for commercial whaling interests.
“The ecological role of whales in the marine ecosystem contributes to food security as they promote primary productivity of the ocean through ecosystem processes. Whales are, due also to the tourism sector, more valuable alive than dead to coastal communities and maritime nations. Therefore, it is essential that Western and Central African delegations, in accordance with the policies of their governments and the interests of their communities, support the establishment of a whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic.
OceanCare has long advocated for a strengthened IWC that focuses on addressing broader threats to marine life, including bycatch, ship strikes, marine pollution and climate change. OceanCare has held observer status at the IWC since 1992. The international marine conservation organisation seeks to improve both the setting of priorities and the working processes of the various bodies of the IWC, in order to advance effective science-based conservation action.
ENDS
Media contact
- Dániel Fehér, Strategic Communications Lead OceanCare: +49 176 81434026; dfeher@oceancare.org
- In Lima/Peru at the IWC69: Thomas Schweiger, Whatsapp: +43 660 7046088, tschweiger@oceancare.org
Notes to editors
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established in 1946 by the Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). Its mandate, drafted within the context of that time, was the worldwide conservation of all whale stocks and the sustainable management of whaling. In 1982, the member states decided to ban commercial whaling activities worldwide. This global ban on commercial whaling, also known as the moratorium, came into force in 1986 and is still considered to be one of the greatest achievements in international animal and species conservation. It has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of whales to date.
In 2016, the IWC recognised the important role of whales in marine ecosystems. Since then, the IWC has been debating the treatment of whales, not only against the background of animal and species protection, but also from a broader ecological perspective. The orientation of the IWC’s work is mostly governed by the adoption of resolutions at the biennial Commission meetings, where all the member nation meet.
OceanCare has held observer status at the IWC since 1992 and has also been represented through experts in the IWC’s Scientific Committee since 2015. OceanCare is dedicated to upholding the global moratorium on commercial whaling, which has been in force since 1986 and to encouraging the transformation of the IWC into a modern conservation body that addresses the full range of threats to all whale and dolphin species.
In 2022, OceanCare and its allies successfully drew international attention to the fact that the government of Antigua and Barbuda was apparently completely unaware of their delegates' positions at the IWC. In a puzzling sequel, the same delegation has tabled a pro-whaling resolution for the 2024 meeting once again. OceanCare and 24 other international environmental non-profits have written a letter to Prime Minister Gaston Browne urging him to clarify the position of his government at the IWC-meeting and to withdraw the pro-whaling resolution tabled by his country’s delegation with immediate effect.
At the 2024 IWC meeting, Latin American countries are again trying to get a proposal to declare the South Atlantic a whale sanctuary approved. While many of the West African states, through their environment ministries, have promoted a similar initiative within the Convention on Migratory Species, it is the fisheries ministries of these states that are taking the opposite position, opposing the Sanctuary and proposing to open up whaling operations in which they have never been involved. Dozens of officials, scientists and conservationists from the Central and West African region have now urged their governments to adopt a progressive position on whale conservation and to support the establishment of the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary.
Publications
- OceanCare press release (06/09/2024): Suggestion that the International Whaling Commission should be closed down is ill-informed nonsense
- Joint NGO declaration (07/09/2024): The International Whaling Commission remains vitally important to the conservation and management of cetaceans
- Afrique Environnement Plus (16/09/2024): Cent dix scientifiques et experts africains appelant leurs dirigeants à cesser de soutenir la chasse à la baleine à la CBI
- Antigua Observer (19/09/2024): Antigua and Barbuda sparks furor over push to overturn ban on commercial whaling
- NGO roadmap (2022): A 50 year vision for the IWC
About OceanCare
OceanCare is an international marine conservation non-governmental organisation, founded in Switzerland in 1989. The organisation pursues the protection and restoration of the marine environment and marine wildlife with a strong policy focus, combining research, conservation projects and education. OceanCare’s remit includes marine pollution, climate change, marine mammal hunting and the environmental consequences of fisheries. Its work is supported by a team of scientific, legal and policy experts, and involves strategic collaboration with civil society organisations and coalitions around the world. OceanCare is an officially accredited partner and observer to several UN conventions and other international fora. www.oceancare.org --
OceanCare Dániel Fehér, Strategic Communications Lead Gerbestrasse 6 CH-8820 Waedenswil - Switzerland +49 176 81434026 dfeher@oceancare.org www.oceancare.org