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91. First, Australia acknowledges that Article VIII, paragraph 2, of the Convention allows
the sale of whale meat that is the by-product of whaling for purposes of scientific research. That
provision states:
“Any whales taken under these special permits shall so far as practicable be
processed and the proceeds shall be dealt with in accordance with directions issued by
the Government by which the permit was granted.”
However, Australia considers that the quantity of whale meat generated in the course of a
programme for which a permit has been granted under Article VIII, paragraph 1, and the sale of
that meat, can cast doubt on whether the killing, taking and treating of whales is for purposes of
scientific research.
92. Japan states in response that the sale of meat as a means to fund research is allowed by
Article VIII, paragraph 2, and is commonplace in respect of fisheries research.
93. On this point, New Zealand asserts that Article VIII, paragraph 2, can be read to permit
the sale of whale meat, but that such sale is not required.
94. As the Parties and the intervening State accept, Article VIII, paragraph 2, permits the
processing and sale of whale meat incidental to the killing of whales pursuant to the grant of a
special permit under Article VIII, paragraph 1.
In the Court’s view, the fact that a programme involves the sale of whale meat and the use of
proceeds to fund research is not sufficient, taken alone, to cause a special permit to fall outside
Article VIII. Other elements would have to be examined, such as the scale of a programme’s use
of lethal sampling, which might suggest that the whaling is for purposes other than scientific
research. In particular, a State party may not, in order to fund the research for which a special
permit has been granted, use lethal sampling on a greater scale than is otherwise reasonable in
relation to achieving the programme’s stated objectives.
95. Secondly, Australia asserts that a State’s pursuit of goals that extend beyond scientific
objectives would demonstrate that a special permit granted in respect of such a programme does
not fall within Article VIII. In Australia’s view, for example, the pursuit of policy goals such as
providing employment or maintaining a whaling infrastructure would indicate that the killing of
whales is not for purposes of scientific research.