Meeting could see pro-whaling nations in majority

1.00pm

Conservation Minister Chris Carter will be in Italy next week where crucial decisions will be made on whether a ban on commercial whaling should be overturned.

The annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) is being held in Sorrento, Italy, from July 19 to 22.

Pro-whaling nations have been lobbying to have the ban on commercial whaling dropped and concerns have been raised over whether they finally have the numbers.

Conservation groups say the whaling nations have been encouraging small countries reliant on aid to join the IWC and to vote in favour of increased whaling.

Earlier this month, the tiny Pacific island nation of Tuvalu applied to join the Commission. The International Fund for Animal Welfare described the Tuvaluan move as a response to Japanese "vote-buying".

The High North Alliance, which represents coastal whalers from Canada, Iceland, Norway, the Faroe Islands and Greenland, says minke whale stocks have rebounded and do not need the protection of the global moratorium in place since 1986.

But it forecast in a report released today that the IWC meeting would ignore the whalers and vote to extend the ban.

Mr Carter today said the meeting was shaping up to be a crucial one.

"Considerable uncertainty surrounds whether pro-whaling interests on the IWC have managed to obtain a simple majority for the first time or not. A pro-whaling majority on the IWC would likely mean more whales killed in the future."

A 75 per cent majority is needed at the IWC to overturn the ban on commercial whaling.

Although commercial whaling is banned, whales are still killed for what whaling nations describe as research.

Mr Carter will be in Italy from July 19 to 23.

- NZPA