Nairobi, Kenya: Whale Proposals Rejected by CITES Delegates

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High North Alliance News (16 April 2000):

 

Whale proposals rejected by CITES delegates

 

Four proposals to resume limited trading in certain whale products were

rejected by government delegates at the Convention on International Trade

in Endangered Species (CITES) yesterday, in Nairobi, Kenya.

 

Norway's proposal was to take the Northeast Atlantic and the North

Atlantic Central stocks of minke whale off Appendix I of the Convention,

which bans trade in " species threatened with extinction " , i.e. all species

listed in it. The proposal pointed out that these whale stocks are

abundant, and that Norway has strict system for trade control, based on

taking DNA samples from every whale harvested. If the proposal had been

accepted, these stocks would have been transferred to Appendix II of the

Convention, known as 'downlisting', which allows limited international

trade in wildlife products.

 

Norway wants to export whale blubber to Japan, as Norwegians do not eat

whale blubber, and there are several hundred tons of it stockpiled,

awaiting the re-opening of whale product trade between the two countries.

 

In a secret ballot, 120 countries voted on the proposal, with 52 votes in

favour and 57 against. There were 9 abstentions and 2 votes were spoiled.

In 1997 at the last CITES conference of the parties, Norway's proposal

received a majority of votes in favour of the proposal, but failed to

reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass it.

 

" This is a very small defeat for Norway but a very large defeat for

science and international co-operation, " said Peter Schei, head of the

Norwegian government delegation at the meeting, in an interview with

Reuters.

 

" The fundamentalists have decided that they will not re-open whaling trade

despite any scientific evidence that any whale population can withstand

it. "

 

Norway is legally entitled to trade with Japan under CITES, as both

countries have lodged an 'objection' to the inclusion of minke whale

stocks in Appendix I of the Convention, which means that they are not

bound by the CITES decision.

 

Schei also said that Norway may now consider ignoring the trade ban when

the whaling season starts later this month.

 

" I agree with Schei. It is high time that Norway lifts its self-imposed

export ban on minke whale products, " said Bjorn Hugo Bendiksen, vice

chairman of the Norwegian Whalers' Union, to the High North Web News.

 

Japan had proposed to downlist one gray whale stock and two minke whale

stocks. The three proposals were also defeated in secret ballots.

 

One hundred and nine votes were cast in the secret ballot for downlisting

the gray whale stock of the Eastern North Pacific; 40 were in favour, 63

against and there were 6 abstentions.

 

On Japan's proposal to downlist the Southern Hemisphere minke whale stock,

123 votes were cast, with 46 in favour and 69 against. There were 4

abstentions and 4 spoiled votes. Suriname suggested an amendment to the

proposal to restrict trade, which was also rejected: 47 votes were in

favour, and 67 against, with 5 abstentions and 4 spoiled votes.

 

Japan's final proposal was to downlist the Okhotsk Sea - West Pacific

stock of minke whales. There were 121 votes cast, with 49 in favour, 67

against, 3 abstentions and 2 spoiled votes.