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Media coverage and press
statements
This section contains links
to over 85 news reports and press releases covering the meeting. On this page
the reports are listed by topic. They can also be viewed by
date.
Balance
of power swings back to the whalers (The Independent, 29.07.01)
As the pro-hunting faction at the International Whaling Commission grows in
strength, quibbling among conservationists puts whales in more danger than ever.
Whaling
conference closes with vote (Associated Press/WorldNews, 28.07.01)
A contentious international whaling conference ended Friday without a
vote on whether to overturn a 15-year-old moratorium on commercial whaling.
As expected, practically nothing happened at this year’s annual meeting of
the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The hottest issue was Iceland’s
return to the Commission. The whaling moratorium stays and no new whale
sanctuaries were adopted.
IWC
meeting ends with no accord on commercial whaling (Kyodo News, 27.07.01)
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) on Friday ended a five-day
session of its annual meeting Friday, during which member nations failed to
reach an agreement over the controversial issue of lifting a 15-year-old
moratorium on commercial whaling.
Coalition
puts worldwide whaling ban under threat (The Times, 24.07.01)
The worldwide ban on commercial whaling was under increasing threat last
night with the International Whaling Commission under attack from a coalition of
pro-whaling nations.
Little
hope of agreement as whaling talks open in London (Financial Times, 24.07.01)
The International Whaling Commission's 53rd annual meeting, which opened
in London on Monday, seems as unlikely as ever to reach agreement on either of
the two main issues facing the organization: whether to end the moratorium on
commercial whaling, and a joint proposal from Australia and New Zealand for a
south Pacific whale sanctuary.
Japan
angers conservationists in fight to drop ban on whaling (The Independent,
24.07.01)
Japan was yesterday accused of being an enemy of global conservation after
it led a coalition of countries in an attempt to overturn a ban on commercial
hunting.
Whales:
IWC conference update (Greenpeace, 23.07.01)
Greenpeace news update
Survival
of whaling commission in doubt (Japan Today, 23.07.01)
The 53rd meeting of the International Whaling Commission gets under way on
Monday with the main endangered species on the agenda being the organization
itself.
Bloody
whaling (The Guardian, 21.07.01)
Japan's aggressive pursuit of expanded whaling is undermining the 1986
moratorium and threatening the regulatory framework created by the International
Whaling Commission.
Japan’s
whale song (The Economist, 20.07.01)
Once again, Japan risks raising the wrath of environmentalists and many other
countries with its determination to continue whaling. The annual meeting of the
International Whaling Commission, which begins on July 23rd, is likely to prove
more contentious than ever.
Whale
of a political fight grips whaling commission (Environment News Service,
04.07.01)
A key battle has begun in this
year's International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting, as its scientific
committee wrestles over the most populous baleen whale stock - Antarctic minkes.
WWF
backs limited whaling (Globe and Mail, 30.07.01)
Conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature said on Monday a return to
limited whaling may be necessary to stop the collapse of the International
Whaling Commission (IWC) and a return to the open slaughter of whales.
Japanese
make new case for whaling (Washington Post, 27.07.01)
As part of its effort to resume commercial whaling and justify its
yearly catch of about 500 whales for "research" purposes, Japan has
mounted a campaign to argue that whales consume more than their share of fish -
fish that should be eaten by humans.
Green
group backs limited whale hunt (BBC News, 27.07.01)
One of the world's best-known
conservation groups, WWF, says limited whaling may be the only way to prevent a
free-for-all.
Whaling
ban survives intact (BBC News, 26.07.01)
The ban on commercial whaling, imposed in 1985, is to remain in force for
another year at least.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has put off a decision which could
have opened the way for the ban's lifting.
Whaling
ban set to collapse (The Observer, 22.07.01)
Britain launches fightback to stop resumption of hunting after 15 years. The
worldwide ban on the commercial hunting of whales faces collapse this week after
a campaign by pro-whaling nations to overturn it.
UK
may support compromise over whaling
IFB NewsRound, June 2001
Problems
remain after IWC inter-sessional meeting
IFB NewsRound, February 2001
Whale
sanctuaries plan again defeated (BBC News, 25.07.01)
Proposals to create new whale sanctuaries were again vetoed on Tuesday, as
pro- and anti-whaling advocates traded accusations at the International Whaling
Commission's (IWC) annual meeting.
Bid
for South Pacific whale sanctuary sunk by four votes (Sydney Morning Herald,
25.07.01)
Australia's and New Zealand's campaign for a South Pacific whale sanctuary -
the world's third such safety zone - was last night harpooned by the
International Whaling Commission for the second successive year.
New
Zealand under attack for whale sanctuary plan (New Zealand Herald, 24.07.01)
New Zealand has asked the International Whaling Commission to respect the
wishes of South Pacific countries and to support the establishment of a South
Pacific Whale Sanctuary.
The indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maori, have asked its government
to withdraw a proposal for a South Pacific whale sanctuary at the International
Whaling Commission meeting in London.
Japanese
vote buying sinks South Pacific Whale Sanctuary (Greenpeace, 24.07.01)
Measures to further
protect the world's whales were undermined today when South Pacific nations were
denied their right to a South Pacific Whale
Sanctuary (SPWS).
Whalers
block South Pacific Sanctuary (Environment News Service, 24.07.01)
Delegates from 37 countries opened the 53rd
meeting of the International Whaling Commission in London Monday by turning down
a sanctuary for whales in the Pacific Ocean.
Whale
sanctuary plan threatened by newcomers (New Zealand Herald, 23.07.01)
New Zealand's hopes for a South Pacific whale sanctuary could be frustrated
by the composition of the International Whaling Commission.
Lee
hails whale haven (New Zealand News, 21.07.01)
Pacific Island countries could follow French Polynesia's example and turn their
territorial waters into whale havens if a bid for a South Pacific sanctuary
fails, says Conservation Minister Sandra Lee.
Pacific
sanctuary proposal is sinking (The Seattle Times, 19.07.01)
A move by Australia and New Zealand to establish a South Pacific whale
sanctuary is expected to fail once again when the International Whaling
Commission (IWC) meets in London next week.
Brazil
hopes to set up South Atlantic whale sanctuary (Kyodo News, 19.07.01)
Brazil hopes to create a whale sanctuary in the southern Atlantic under
the auspices of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) but expects the move
to be fiercely opposed by Japan and other whaling nations, Brazilian Environment
Minister Jose Sarney Filho said Thursday.
Australia
supports French Polynesia's whale sanctuary (ABC News, 19.07.01)
Australia's Federal Environment Minister has welcomed French Polynesia's
decision to create a whale sanctuary in its waters.
French
Polynesia to create whale sanctuary (The Australian, 19.07.01)
French Polynesia today supported Australia's calls for a South Pacific Whale
Sanctuary. French Polynesia has decided to create a whale sanctuary in its
waters. The government last July failed to convince the IWC to support its plan
to establish the sanctuary.
Fisheries
minister blasts SAS whale ban (Aftenposten, 17.07.01)
Norway's fisheries minister defended the country's controversial whale hunt
Tuesday and said he was irritated by SAS' decision to refuse transport of whale
exports. He accused SAS of virtual betrayal.
Pacific
whale sanctuary bid looks beached (CNN News, 17.07.01)
A move by Australia and New Zealand to establish the sanctuary is again expected
to fail, having already been blocked by Japan, with support coaxed from six
Caribbean countries at last year's IWC meeting in Australia.
Minister
seeks clarification of request that NZ withdraw whale sanctuary proposal to IWC
this year (NZ Dept. of Conservation Press Release, 13.07.01)
Conservation Minister Sandra Lee says she's seeking clarification from the
Chairman, following a Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission (Te Ohu Kai Moana)
request that New Zealand withdraw its South Pacific whale sanctuary proposal
from the agenda of this year's IWC meeting.
NZ
support of whale protection in the southern hemisphere oceans consistent with
IWC ideals (NZ Dept. of Conservation Press Release, 12.07.01)
Conservation Minister Sandra Lee has rejected claims today by Japan's
Fisheries Agency that the joint New Zealand-Australia proposal at this year's
International Whaling Commission in London for a South Pacific whale sanctuary
is "frivolous" and threatens the existence of the IWC.
Pacific
unites to support a South Pacific whale sanctuary (Environment News Service,
10.07.01)
Whale watching is a valuable legacy that many in the Pacific hope to
pass on to their children. It is a vision shared by Felipe Tonga, educator and
guide with Whales Alive! and Melinda Sea Adventures in Vava'u, Tonga.
South
Pacific whale sanctuary issue sparks renewed international interest in IWC (NZ
Dept. of Conservation, 28.06.01)
Conservation Minister Sandra Lee will launch a new joint bid with
Australia in London next month to secure International Whaling Commission
support for a South Pacific whale sanctuary.
Australia
continues to lobby for South Pacific whale sanctuary
IFB NewsRound, May 2001
Pacific
States back South Pacific whale sanctuary
IFB NewsRound, April 2001
Iceland
says IWC rebuff won't effect whaling plans (Reuters, 26.07.01)
The International Whaling Commission's refusal to allow Iceland to become a full
member will have no effect on its whaling policy, Icelandic Minister of
Fisheries Arni Mathiesen said this week.
Iceland
held at bay in whaling policy vote (The Guardian, 24.07.01)
Iceland, determined to resume commercial whaling, was yesterday refused
permission to rejoin the International Whaling Commission as a full member and
denied voting rights at the organization's annual meeting in London.
Whaling
commission puts Iceland membership on hold (Reuters, 24.07.01)
The International Whaling
Commission, after a heated debate, put Iceland's membership on hold yesterday
over its refusal to sign up to a commercial hunting ban and gave it observer
status in the meantime.
Arni M. Mathiesen, Iceland's Minister of Fisheries issued the following
statement today in response to recent wire service reports: "Both Reuters
and the Associated Press have carried reports in the past few days alleging that
Iceland is on the verge of imminent resumption in commercial whaling. Iceland
stopped commercial whaling in 1986 and all whaling in 1989. These reports are
not accurate . . .
Iceland's
attempt to resume commercial whaling fails (Greenpeace, 23.07.01)
Iceland's attempt to resume
commercial whaling immediately was rejected by the International Whaling
Commission (IWC) meeting in London today.
Iceland
to resume commercial whaling (IntraFish, 23.07.01)
Iceland is set to defy environmental criticism and international
agreements, and resume commercial whale hunting, claiming scientific advice is
that stocks are sufficient to withstand the move.
Opening
Statement of Iceland, (Ministry of Fisheries, Iceland, 23.07.01)
Although Iceland is a
newcomer in this Commission today, its history as a Contracting Government
expands more than 40 years, from the 1940s until 1992 when Iceland withdrew from
the IWC.
Press
Release, (Ministry of Fisheries, Iceland, 23.07.01)
Today, the
International Whaling Commission (IWC), at its 53rd annual meeting, moved to
reject the adherence of Iceland to the International Convention for the
Regulation of Whaling (the Convention) by voting down its reservation.
Explanation of Iceland's Reservation,
(Ministry of Fisheries, Iceland, 23.07.01)
The Vienna
Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) does not apply to the International
Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) according to the VCLT Art. 4.
Iceland
set to resume whaling (Associated Press/news.com.au, 20.07.01)
Iceland intends to defy
international objections and resume commercial whale hunting, the country's
whaling commissioner said Friday.
Press Release,
(Ministry
of Fisheries, Iceland, 8.07.01)
Iceland has
today rejoined the International Whaling Commission (IWC), with a reservation
with respect to the so-called
"moratorium" on commercial whaling.
Iceland
to resume whaling (BBC News Online, 04.07.01)
Iceland says it will resume
commercial whaling, perhaps as soon as next year. Last month it rejoined the
International Whaling Commission (IWC), which since 1986 has observed a
moratorium on commercial whaling.
Iceland
rejoins IWC, but exempt from whaling ban (Reuters, via PlanetArk, 04.07.01)
Iceland has decided to rejoin the International
Whaling Commission (IWC), but is also planning to start hunting whales again, a
fisheries ministry spokesman said yesterday.
Iceland
plans to resume whaling
IFB NewsRound, June 2001
Iceland
and Panama rejoin the IWC
IFB NewsRound, June 2001
Dominica
- a little fish with a big vote to cast (The Guardian, 24.07.01)
The opening of the International Whaling Commission meeting in
London today throws a spotlight on 'Nature Island'.
Japanese
vote buying sinks South Pacific Whale Sanctuary (Greenpeace, 24.07.01)
Measures to further protect the world's whales were undermined today
when South Pacific nations were denied their right to a South Pacific Whale
Sanctuary (SPWS).
Greenpeace
urges Norway to condemn Japanese vote buying at the 53rd meeting of the
International Whaling Commission (Greenpeace, 23.07.01)
As the International Whaling
Commission meets in London this week, Greenpeace urged the Norwegian Prime
Minister to publicly distance Norway from its traditional pro-whaling ally,
Japan.
Caribbean
nations to vote on whaling (Associated Press/WorldNews, 22.07.01)
Six Caribbean nations that sided with Japan last year to reject a South
Pacific whaling sanctuary appear likely to again vote against the sanctuary at
this week's International Whaling Commission meeting in London.
Japan
accused of whaling bribes (Sunday Times, 22.07.01)
Delegates to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in
London will be told this week that Japan is using bribery to ensure support for
its pro-whaling stance.
Whale
bribe row pulls in Tonga, Solomons (New Zealand Herald, 20.07.01)
As the row over Japan offering aid in return for votes to support whaling
escalated yesterday, it was revealed that other tiny Pacific Island states have
come under pressure.
Japan
was caught red-handed on whale votes, says NZ (Japan Today, 20.07.01)
Japan has been
caught red-handed in a campaign to buy votes for whale hunting, no matter how
many times Tokyo denies comments attributed to a senior official, New Zealand
Prime Minister Helen Clarke said on Friday.
Japan
admits aid deals buy support for whaling (The Independent, 19.07.01)
The Japanese government has admitted for the first time that it uses overseas
aid to buy the support of small nations for its campaign to legalize whaling.
NZ
says Japan has opportunity to explain its tactics at IWC meeting (NZ Dept. of
Conservation, Press Release, 19.07.01)
Prime Minister Helen Clark says Japan has the opportunity at next week's
International Whaling Commission meeting to explain the relationship between
Japan's development aid to small countries and the link which that appears to
have to voting behaviour at the Commission.
Japanese
official defends 'cockroach' remark on whales (Kyodo News, 19.07.01)
A senior Japanese fishery official on Wednesday defended a remark he made
describing minke whales as ''the cockroaches of the sea.''
Japan
admits buying whaling votes in exchange for aid (Greenpeace, 18.07.01)
Greenpeace expressed no surprise today at the admission by a senior official of
the Fisheries Agency of Japan, Maseyuku Komatsu, that Japan has been using
overseas aid to secure support for its campaign to have the current
international ban on whaling lifted.
NZ
appalled at Japanese admission on whaling tactics (NZ Dept. of Conservation
Press Release, 18.07.01)
Prime Minister Helen Clark said today that she was appalled by the reported
admission of a senior Japanese fisheries official that Japan has been, in
effect, bribing poorer nations to support Japan's campaign to overturn a global
moratorium against whaling.
St
Lucia and Grenada express support for Japan
IFB NewsRound, June 2001
St
Vincent against whale sanctuary; Antigua undecided
IFB NewsRound, May 2001
Dominica
not to disclose its position on whale sanctuary
IFB NewsRound, May 2001
Minke
whale count hits new low (New Scientist, 26.07.01)
A new survey of minke whales in the Southern Ocean suggests there may be
far fewer than currently accepted by the International Whaling Commission.
Climate
row touches blue whales (BBC News Online, 18.07.01)
The survival of the few remaining blue whales in the Antarctic is now
imperilled by global warming, conservationists claim. WWF, the global
environment network, says rising temperatures are melting the sea ice, the home
of the krill, the tiny crustaceans on which the whales depend.
Report
details human threats to world's whales (Environment News Service, 10.07.01)
As the International Whaling Commission prepares to meet in London in
less than two weeks, a new report released by World Wildlife Fund today
discloses some of the serious threats which continue to threaten the survival of
the world's whales.
Makah
hunt sharply questioned at International Whaling Commission (Sea Shepherd
Conservation Society, 01.08.01)
Since
brokering a hotly contested hunt quota for gray whales at the behest of the
Makah Indian tribe of Washington State in 1997, the U.S. government has
requested and received the silence of fellow International Whaling Commission
delegations on the contentious issue .
. .
Whaling
meeting censures Japan on porpoise cull (Reuters, via PlanetArk, 27.07.01)
The International
Whaling Commission yesterday censured Japan for its annual cull of thousands of
Dall's porpoises, prompting the retort that it should mind its own business.
Whale
meeting agrees urgent fish stocks study (Reuters, via PlanetArk, 27.07.01)
Whalers and conservationists temporarily buried
their differences yesterday to agree unanimously to commission an urgent study
into the effect whales have on fish stocks for human consumption.
Japan
tries to obstruct moves to protect critically endangered whale population
(Greenpeace, 26.07.01)
Greenpeace expressed outrage today
at Japan's decision to vote against a proposal to protect the critically
endangered Western North Pacific Gray whales, of which there are believed to be
less than 100 left.
International
whaling commission votes to protect dolphins (Kyodo News, 26.07.01)
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) on Thursday passed a non-binding
resolution urging Japan to stop the practice of hunting dolphins by trapping
them in coastal waters.
Morocco
joins the IWC
IFB NewsRound, February 2001
Problems
remain after IWC inter-sessional meeting
IFB NewsRound, February 2001
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