Whale conservation - Protecting the giants of the sea
You've probably seen whales appearing in the news quite a bit recently, with Japan's whaling fleet embarking for their annual "scientific whale" kill. Japan is this year doubling its whale quota and adding new species on to its target list.
Whales, dolphins and porpoises are facing ever-increasing dangers despite the 20-year ban on commercial whaling. We've prepared a series of questions and answers on whale conservation and WWF's efforts to protect these magnificent creatures.
What are the threats to whales?
Whales are currently under threat from a wide range of human activities, despite there being a moratorium in place against commercial whaling for nearly 20 years.
Over 1200 whales have been hunted each year since commercial whaling was banned in 1986. Whaling is taking place right now and increasing yearly.
Norway continues to hunt whales under its objection to the IWC moratorium against commercial whaling. Japan has been whaling under the guise of 'scientific research', killing hundreds of whales each year and selling whale meat openly on the market.
Japan is now planning to increase its 'scientific whaling' operations in the Southern Hemisphere and to include the hunting of humpback and fin whales.
Iceland has also submitted a formal objection to the IWC moratorium against commercial whaling. Although claiming it would not undertake commercial whaling before 2006, Iceland has begun its own 'scientific whaling' program.
This is not acceptable. Scientific whaling is a tool of the past, and modern science is needed in the modern world.
In addition to this, nearly 1,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises are killed every day as bycatch in fishing nets.
What is WWF doing to protect whales?
WWF is working with members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to encourage whale conservation around the world.
WWF project staff leaving on a whale watching trip
© WWF-Canon/Emanuele COPPOLA
At the IWC meeting in 2005 in Ulsan, Korea, WWF lobbied vigorously to prevent pro-whaling nations gaining the majority vote at the meeting. A pro-whaling vote would have overturned 20 years of whale conservation measures and introduced detrimental ones.
We will continue to work with IWC member nations to minimise the adverse impacts of commercial whaling, marine pollution, climate change, ship strikes, fisheries bycatch, noise pollution and other human-caused threats to whale populations.
In essence, that means making the IWC an effective international forum for the conservation of all cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), particularly those that are endangered.
We are also working to encourage the establishment of additional whale sanctuaries in the South Pacific and South Atlantic, and to strengthen existing sanctuaries. We are also working to provide support to countries wishing to establish whale conservation initiatives.
What is 'scientific whaling'?
WWF believes that scientific whaling is nothing more than an instrument of profit and politics used to circumvent the moratorium on commercial whaling.
Japan's 'scientific whaling' program is subsidised by the Government of Japan, and the meat from the whales - including minke, Bryde's, sei and sperm whales - is sold on the Japanese market. Japan has killed more than 650 whales per year under the guise of 'scientific whaling' and, due to a loop hole in the IWC's legislation, the body has no power to stop it.
Japan has come under heavy criticism within the international scientific community for failing to publish the results of its 'scientific whaling' operation, as well as for failing to adopt any of the improvements to the 'scientific whaling' program made by the IWC Scientific Committee.
Iceland also hunts whales allegedly for 'scientific research'.
Since the moratorium on whaling took effect in 1986, more than 7,000 whales - minke, sperm and Bryde's whales - have been killed in the name of the science.
There are more modern, non-lethal techniques available that are also more reliable in providing data on whale biology.
For example, genetic analysis of small skin samples - collected with a non-harmful special biopsy dart - is now widely used to understand the population structure of many mammals, including whales. This technique helps determine the status of whale populations in different geographic areas.
Are fishing nets a serious threat to whale populations?
Hector's dolphin calf killed in gillnet
© Stephen DAWSON
WWF has found that around 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises are killed each year as bycatch in fishing nets. This translates to nearly 1,000 cetaceans killed each day in fishing nets.
Bycatch is when unwanted fish and other species are caught up in fishing gear. It has been revealed as one of the greatest global threats facing dolphins, porpoises, and whales. When dolphins and other species, which breathe air, get caught up in the nets, they often get trapped underwater and drown.
Is full-scale commercial whaling ever likely to resume?
The international ban on commercial whaling is not expected to be revoked. This would require a three-quarter pro-whaling majority vote in the IWC, which was not achieved at the recent IWC meeting in Korea.
However, the future of whale conservation is still under threat. A number of new IWC member nations lodged pro-whaling votes at the commission's last meeting in June, suggesting that future whale conservation initiatives could be jeopardized.
The balance of power at the 2005 IWC meeting in Korea between pro-whaling and anti-whaling nations was the closest it's been in decades.
This is because Japan has actively recruited small developing nations to the IWC, most of which have no whaling operations of their own.
Fortunately, anti-whaling nations were able to out vote Japan and its pro-whaling allies on a number of issues - such as keeping whale sanctuaries on the IWC's agenda and not allowing Japan's proposal for secret balloting, which would have made governments unaccountable to their citizens.
Anti-whaling nations also rejected Japan's intention to boost its average annual scientific kill of minke whales from 440 to as many as 935 next year and to start killing threatened humpback and fin whales.
Despite losing the vote to increase its scientific whaling operations, Japan has set the stage for a diplomatic showdown by saying it will push ahead with its plans to increase the number of whales it kills anyway.
The trend towards a pro-whaling IWC is worrying. If pro-whaling countries gain a majority of votes in future IWC meetings, it will result in a series of decisions and resolutions that are both pro-whaling and anti-conservation.
The future of whale sanctuaries, humane whaling methods and the ability to control environmental pollution and noise impacts on whales would all be threatened by a pro-whaling majority vote in the IWC. The ability to establish sustainable alternatives to whaling, such as whale watching businesses, would also be jeopardised.
It has taken more than 20 years to establish the whale conservation measures that are currently in place around the world but a pro-whaling vote at the IWC could overturn all of that.
What is the future of whale sanctuaries?
A pro-whaling IWC threatens the existence of whale sanctuaries and makes it difficult to establish new sanctuaries in the future.
Japan narrowly failed in its attempt to dissolve the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary at the recent IWC meeting. However, it succeeded in gaining a majority vote to reject a new whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic.
WWF encourages the establishment of additional IWC whale sanctuaries, and provides support to those countries wishing to establish new sanctuaries.
WWF supports the continued efforts of New Zealand and Australia to unite the existing network of sanctuaries through the submission of a proposal for an IWC South Pacific Sanctuary.
WWF also strongly supports the proposal from Brazil and Argentina to establish a sanctuary in the South Atlantic - a region in which whale-watching has been steadily increasing, providing both ecotourism income and research opportunities.
What do the recent IWC decisions mean for whaling?
The IWC voted to maintain the 20-year moratorium on commercial whaling. It also voted to urge Japan to end its annual scientific whaling operations.
Japan however said it would continue its scientific whale kill and would increase its quota to nearly 1000 whales.
What is the International Whaling Commission?
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a union of more than 60 countries established to manage whale populations around the world.
The IWC was established in 1946 and at this time was very much a 'whalers' club'.
But as whale populations hit record lows and world opinion turned against whale slaughters, most of the IWC nations became anti-whaling.
Unfortunately, this could be reversed with many new pro-whaling members joining the IWC - most of which have no whaling operations of their own.
Visit the IWC website for more information about the IWC.
