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TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

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9 Norway reports that these animals are all lost after they are dead.10 Data recorded for only 481 whales.11 Annual number of whales reported as bycaught in trap nets. Data from Japan’s Annual Progress Reports,submitted to the IWC.12 Article VI, paragraph 28, Appendix A.13 In addition, the Commission is developing a data collection form as part of its negotiations of the RevisedManagement Scheme, which will manage commercial whaling in the future if the Moratorium is ever lifted.14 At time of writing, Icel<strong>and</strong> has not completed its first season <strong>and</strong> it is not known if it will report any datacollected to the IWC.15 Relaxation of the lower jaw or no flipper movement or sinking without active movement (Anon 1980).16 Effective for all whales, except minke, killed for commercial purposes from the beginning of the 1980/81pelagic <strong>and</strong> 1981 coastal seasons. Effective for minke whales from the 1982/83 pelagic <strong>and</strong> 1983 coastalseasons. (Paragraph 6, ICRW)17 Permit No. 14-SUIKAN-1299, dated April 4 2003.18 The IWC is inconsistent in addressing this issue for Aboriginal hunts; for example only setting a limit onthe number of whales ‘taken’ in Greenl<strong>and</strong>’s fin whale <strong>and</strong> East Greenl<strong>and</strong> minke whale hunts, but cappingthe number of whales ‘struck’ in its west Greenl<strong>and</strong> minke hunt.19 Article VI, Information Required, paragraphs 25 <strong>and</strong> 27.52A REVIEW OF THE WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF MODERN WHALING ACTIVITIES20 Thirty-nine of the Scientific Committee’s national delegates from many different nations had concludedthat, not only was Icel<strong>and</strong>’s research proposal poorly contrived <strong>and</strong> unlikely to yield relevant results, but thatit was ‘deficient in almost every respect’.21 IWC Resolution 2003-3.22 First passed in 1990 <strong>and</strong> amended in 2001.23 According to data provided to the IWC by Japan, before 2001 the average number of whales bycaught inJapanese trap nets was 20, however, this leapt to 79 in 2001, following the implementation of the newlegislation.24 The Hokkaido Shimbun (a Japanese newspaper) reported that, of 123 whales caught in nets between July2001 <strong>and</strong> July 2002, 119 were killed. This represents an increase in the first year since the law was changedto permit fishermen to kill <strong>and</strong> sell the whales caught in their nets.25 For example, the UK stated (<strong>and</strong> others concurred) to the IWC meeting in 2002 that “animals killed underJapan’s new legislation which, under certain circumstances, authorises the deliberate killing of whales bycaught infishing operations, should be reported as infractions” (Chair’s Report of the 54th Annual Meeting. P 45).26 Paragraph 13 of the schedule to the ICRW.27 For example, in 1979, the Technical Working Group on Humane Killing recommended that governmentsact to reduce waste <strong>and</strong> inhumane methods of killing. In 1985, the Commission adopted a resolution onhumane killing in Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling that “urges the prompt adoption of more efficient methods ofkilling whales, that reduce cruelty <strong>and</strong> inhumanity, in areas where aboriginal <strong>and</strong> subsistence whaling is practised”(Chair’s report of 37th Annual Meeting, appendix 3). These sentiments were reiterated in Resolution 1997-1, which urged aboriginal subsistence whalers to “do everything possible to reduce still further any unavoidablesuffering caused to whales in such hunts”.28 IWC Resolutions 1997-1 <strong>and</strong> 1999-1.

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