McLay to quit happy with result of Whaling Commission talks

By ANNE BESTON

Situation vacant: whaling commissioner, must be a skilled negotiator with a genuinely caring attitude to whales.

This month's International Whaling Commission meeting was the last for New Zealand commissioner Jim McLay, who is stepping down after nine years in the job.

Despite an at-times acrimonious meeting which ended with a tit-for-tat vote by Japan to refuse the traditional whaling quota for indigenous peoples after its own attempt to get an increase in the number of whales for its scientific programme was denied, Mr McLay was upbeat about the Shimonoseki meeting.

For anti-whaling countries the meeting was considered a success, the conservation line held against renewed attempts by pro-whalers to get some form of commercial whaling approved.

Before the meeting began, Japan publicly proclaimed it was going to overturn the 1986 ban on whaling and get the 20-year Indian ocean whale sanctuary declared illegal, Mr McLay says.

But the only win for the pro-whalers was the continuing ability to block attempts by New Zealand, Australia and the US to proclaim a South Pacific sanctuary - which needs three-quarters of IWC votes.

"Japan probably has to face up to a very unpalatable reality, all that they have really proved is that they have got a minority vote that is sufficient to block the three-quarters majority, even after all this effort and an incredible amount of money and all these countries that have been brought in to support their cause, that's all they have achieved."

McLay says that despite Japanese claims of whale populations recovering we simply do not know their numbers with enough certainty to begin handing out commercial whaling quota.

"Contrary to the allegation that all of the conservation countries are just whale huggers we really do base our arguments on science," he says.

But the former National Party leader and deputy Prime Minister has no trouble with the more sentimental side of the whaling debate.

"You only have to be in a boat with a whale coming up beside you to feel utter and complete awe of these animals."

He defends the IWC against accusations by some that it is a deadlocked organisation unable to move forward. Twenty years ago commercial whaling was widespread, he says, now only Norway defies the hunt ban with Japan taking about 500 whales a year for its scientific programme.

"The present moratorium we have is the only viable way to go and the sanctuaries we have really are important and we have to remain opposed to the resumption of commercial whaling anywhere, any time."

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