Whaling Commission Proposes An End to Commercial Hunting Ban

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has proposed an end to the ban on commercial whaling in exchange for a reduction in the number of whales killed, a plan aimed at easing tensions between opponents of whaling and nations that still pursue whales. The draft plan does not suggest specifically how many whales could be killed, but says it would “reduce catches significantly from current levels.” The proposal would last for 10 years. Only three nations — Japan, Iceland and Norway — have continued to hunt whales since an international moratorium was passed in 1986, but dozens of commission members support the hunts. The whaling impasse has slowed conservation efforts worldwide, some members say, and the number of whales killed has escalated in recent years. During the 1990s, 300 whales were killed each year for scientific research or commercial purposes. In the last five years, about 1,900 whales have been killed annually. Monica Medina, the U.S. commissioner to the IWC, withheld judgment on what she called an “incomplete” proposal, but suggested the Obama administration is eager to resolve the stalemate. The commission will discuss the proposal at its annual meeting in June.