Less than 24 hours to save whales
Mar 4, 2010
© Bryant Austin / WSPA
Humpback whales are in danger as the International Whaling Commission (IWC) considers a controversial Danish proposal to resume hunting humpback whales off the coast of Greenland, a self governing territory of Denmark.
Tomorrow, Friday 5th March, the IWC votes on the Danish demand to increase Greenland’s aboriginal subsistence whaling quota to include humpback whales on top of their existing annual whaling quota.
European Union (EU) members will vote as a block on Greenland’s demand to add ten humpback whales to its quota.
Your action can make a huge difference for the future of the whales.
Why does this vote matter?
The IWC hold small meetings throughout the year called Intercessionals, as well as their annual general meeting held in the summer.
The IWC are currently in St. Petersburg, Florida at an Intercessional meeting and one of the issues up for debate is Denmark's humpback proposal.
The Danish request to allow hunting of humpback whales for the first time in almost 25 years has previously failed to win enough votes and continues to strain relationships between EU members, who must all vote the same way at the meeting.
WSPA is very concerned that if the EU block votes the wrong way, there will be devastating consequences for whales.
Most EU countries do not support whaling, or Greenland’s request to kill more whales. But a small minority do and if the EU members of the IWC cannot agree on which way to vote, they will be forced to abstain from voting altogether.
EU countries make up nearly 30 per cent of the IWC and other IWC members are likely to follow their lead. If they have to abstain, Greenland’s proposal could easily be adopted, opening the floodgates to more proposals for similar whaling allowances.
What is aboriginal subsistence whaling?
Aboriginal subsistence whaling is a historical concept that dates back to 1946, when the IWC was first set up. The IWC felt it important to acknowledge that small communities of indigenous people, particularly in the high Arctic, needed to hunt whales (among other wildlife) to survive.
After the international ban on commercial whaling came into being in 1986, the IWC created a category called aboriginal subsistence whaling (ASW), to allow these communities to carry on whaling for food and local use.
Sadly, in the 21st century, this is a loophole that is being increasingly exploited for commercial gain.
WSPA’s Greenland investigation
In 2008, WSPA ran an undercover investigation into Greenland’s misuse of their ASW whaling quotas.
Our report, called ‘Exploding Myths – an exposé of the commercial elements of Greenlandic Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling’ showed that a significant number of whales caught for ‘subsistence’ purposes end up on supermarket shelves.
Watch our video detailing the findings from our 2008 investigation below.
Take action – tell your Minister that you want them to vote against Denmark's proposal >>
Read more about our 2008 Greenland investigation >>
Find out more about WSPA’s anti-whaling work >>