No whale on menu but plenty left to chew on

By ANNE BESTON environment reporter

While delegates are unlikely to be served whale meat, this year's International Whaling Commission meeting is bound to again be dogged by acrimony.

Conservation Minister Chris Carter and New Zealand's new whaling commissioner, Sir Geoffrey Palmer, head to the IWC conference in Germany this week so New Zealand can argue again for a South Pacific whale sanctuary.

Also on this year's agenda is the vexed issue of pro-whaling Iceland's membership of the IWC. The small but influential country walked out of the organisation over the 1986 ban on whaling but now wants readmission.

Iceland, with support from pro-whaling countries such as Japan, has made its opposition to the whaling moratorium a condition of its membership.

Anti-whalers such as New Zealand, Britain, the United States and Australia will oppose it.

"Iceland has qualified its admission by saying it's against the moratorium and countries such as New Zealand are going to make it clear we think their admission is inappropriate," Mr Carter said.

Last year's IWC meeting in Japan was expected to be a key moment in the ongoing international debate on whaling, but anti-whalers believed they successfully held their ground against attempts to overturn the moratorium. Most major votes at the IWC require 75 per cent of the around 45 members.

Mr Carter said two other big issues for New Zealand this year would be promotion of a South Pacific whale sanctuary, which has failed every year over the past three years, and the "Berlin initiative".

The initiative is an attempt by Germany to introduce a conservation committee to the IWC, which Japan and other pro-whalers are expected to strenuously oppose.

Japan has always maintained the commission is about whaling, not conservation, and believes anti-whaling countries deadlock the IWC. The commission does have a scientific committee, which in recent years has given approval for Japan to take around 500 whales a year for "research".

Mr Carter said the South Pacific sanctuary was supported by New Zealand's neighbours such as Fiji and New Caledonia and last time gained 60 per cent support.

"We are just going to have to advocate strongly for it and we are working closely with Brazil and Argentina, who are looking to set up a South Atlantic sanctuary which would complement ours."

In past years, Japan has been accused of contributing aid to IWC countries in an attempt to buy votes, but Mr Carter said New Zealand would not pay for anti-whalers to help out.

"New Zealand is not in the business of buying support."

This year's meeting is also unlikely to deteriorate into a squabble over the menu.

At last year's Shimonoseki meeting, some anti-whaling countries were unhappy whale meat was served.

On the table

NZ push for a South Pacific whale sanctuary

Iceland's membership of whaling body will be debated