CSI On The Frontline For Whales:
A Report from the 56th Annual Meeting of the
International Whaling Commission

By Heather D. Rockwell, CSI Representative

During a two-week period in July 2004, the member nations of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) gathered in Sorrento, Italy, to once again discuss and debate the fate of the world's whales. I had the privilege of representing CSI at the Sub-Committee meetings and the Plenary session of the IWC's 56th Annual Meeting.

CSI has a 23-year history of advocacy at the yearly treaty negotiations of the IWC as an official Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). During the Plenary session, anti-whaling NGOs, like CSI, are there to speak for, and represent, the whales. We educate and lobby governmental delegates about the benefits of keeping whales alive versus killing them for profit.

I could not have asked for a more beautiful location to attend a two-week meeting. Sorrento is a picturesque city built high on cliffs that overlook the Bay of Naples and the Mediterranean. Wherever I walked in Sorrento, I saw lemon trees loaded with fruit, colorful bougainvillaea shrubs with brilliant pink and purple flowers, and Mt. Vesuvius looming eerily in the distance. The quaint, narrow streets of Sorrento are lined with shops, cafes and hotels offering something for everyone. The food and wine were exquisite _ crusty breads, fresh buffalo mozzarella, flavorful olive oils, delicious gelato (creamy Italian ice cream), and wonderful wines from local vineyards.

We came prepared for a battle in Sorrento with the pro-whaling nations of Japan, Norway and Iceland, and their increasing number of allies. Rumors had been swirling for months that Japan's efforts to recruit and pay for developing countries to join the IWC, and vote in their favor for whaling, had paid off. If this were true, then they would have the simple majority of the 57 member nations of the IWC.

Since the 2003 annual meeting of the IWC, Japan was able to bring on board four new countries: Mauritania, Tuvalu, Cote d'Ivoire and Suriname. For the whales' side, the countries of Belgium and Hungary had joined and were welcomed with open arms by the conservation community. It was going to be a close call!

One of the first interesting topics to be addressed at the annual meeting was the absence of the Chair of the IWC. IWC Chair Henrik Fischer was unable to attend the meeting in Sorrento due to health issues. After private Commissioner-only consultations were held, it was decided by consensus that Rolland Schmitten, U.S. Commissioner, would act as pro tem Chair for the duration of the Plenary session of the IWC. Also reached by consensus was the decision to have Japan's Commissioner, Minoru Morimoto, as Vice Chair. So, together the United States and Japan would be operating the annual meeting of the IWC.

Acting pro tem Chair and U.S. Commissioner Rolland Schmitten and IWC Secretariat Dr. Nicky Grandy share the responsibility of operating the Plenary Session of the Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission. Photo: Rockwell/IWC

On the first day of the Plenary session, the issue of transparency within the IWC came up immediately, when Japan put forth its proposal for secret ballots. Many of Japan's supporters, including Benin, Palau, Nicaragua, Guinea, Dominica, argued that secret ballots were necessary. They said that small, developing nations are pressured and intimidated by larger, more powerful countries. Luckily for the whales, the conservation nations, led by Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Germany and others, managed to hold onto the simple majority and voted down Japan's secret ballot proposal by only 5 votes. This was a great victory for the whales.

While the discussions concerning secret ballots were ongoing inside the meeting venue, four conservation groups held a press conference outside about Japanese vote buying within the IWC. Japan's retaliation was to attempt to get these organizations removed from the meeting. The Chair refused to do so, and for the time being, free speech and freedom of the press survived Japan's efforts to control both. The Commission did concede to Japan's maneuvering by agreeing that an NGO Code of Conduct needed to be put into place before the next Annual Meeting.

New Zealand's Alternate Commissioner Mike Donoghue welcomes representatives from the South Pacific nation of Tuvalu to their first IWC meeting. Photo: Rockwell/IWC

The next big hurdle to be cleared was Japan's proposal to completely abolish the Southern Ocean Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was established by the IWC in 1994 to protect cetaceans from commercial exploitation in the waters around Antarctica. However, Japan has continued to hunt whales under the guise of "scientific research" in the Antarctic since that time. Fortunately, this pro-whaling motion was soundly defeated by more than 10 votes. The Southern Ocean Sanctuary remains intact.

On the flip side, the treaty amendments put forth by conservation-minded countries for the establishment of a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary and a South Atlantic Sanctuary did not fare as well. Japan, Norway, Iceland and their allies argued that these proposed sanctuaries have no scientific basis and no specific aim. Votes were taken on both proposals and both failed _ no new sanctuaries for the whales this year.

Delegates from the pro-whaling nations of Japan and Norway. Photo: Rockwell/IWC

The Conservation Committee, newly established at the 2003 Annual Meeting, had a rough time getting started. Discussions during the Subcommittee week included defining the term "conservation," developing terms of reference, and outlining a list of six subjects for the Conservation Committee to address. However, the reluctance of pro-whaling nations like Japan and its Caribbean allies to engage in discussions or even attend the Subcommittee meetings resulted in little movement forward. An effort will be made to work intersessionally and further develop the Conservation Committee over the next year.

There was an evident push by some countries to advance the Revised Management Scheme (RMS) at this meeting. The RMS will be a set of rules and procedures for establishing quotas for commercial whaling, but only if the moratorium on commercial whaling, adopted by the IWC in 1982, is abolished. Although IWC Chair Fischer was absent, the Secretariat introduced documents on his behalf outlining a process for moving the RMS forward. After much discussion, a resolution was adopted by consensus that established a process for drafting and reviewing proposed RMS text for possible adoption as early as next year's meeting. An RMS Working Group, small drafting group, and several technical advisory groups will work intersessionally on text, with meetings of the Working Group and small drafting group planned for November, March, and the week before the annual IWC meeting in Ulsan, Korea. Only the Working Group meetings will be open to observers, like NGOs.

U.S. Alternate Commissioner William Hogarth confers with U.S. delegate Chris Yates at start of Plenary Session. CSI Board Member Nancy Azzam is talking to Sweden's Commissioner Bo Fernholm. Photo: Rockwell/IWC

Several interesting votes took place on the final day of the Plenary. First was the election of a new Vice Chair, who would become the Chair of the IWC in three years. Russia nominated Japan's commissioner, Mr. Morimoto, while the U.S. nominated South Africa's commissioner, Mr. Kleinschmidt, as possible candidates. A secret ballot vote was called and by the narrowest of margins - only 1 vote - Mr. Kleinschmidt won the seat of Vice Chair. This was a close win for the conservation nations.

Brazil's Alternate Commissioner Jose Truda Palazzo, Jr. and Commissioner Maria Teresa Pessoa spoke loud and clear for the whales during the Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission. Photo: Rockwell/IWC

Next up was the vote for the venue of the 58th Annual Meeting in 2006. The 2005 Annual Meeting is already scheduled for Ulsan, Korea - a pro-whaling country. France offered to host the 58th meeting in La Rochelle. This offer was countered by one from St. Kitts and Nevis. Various pro-whaling countries spoke up and supported St. Kitts and Nevis's bid to host the 2006 meeting. A secret ballot vote was taken with St. Kitts and Nevis winning, which means that the Annual Meetings will be held in pro-whaling countries for two years in a row.

As CSI's representative, I approached numerous government delegates, both anti-whaling and pro-whaling, and discussed the importance of whale watching and the non-consumptive, non-lethal use of whales. One thing that helped me accomplish this was a CD of humpback whale sounds and songs recorded by Paul Knapp, a member of the CSI Board of Directors. The CD was a great conversation icebreaker, as it allowed me to walk up to delegates with a product that reinforced the wonders of living whales. I was even successful in educating the new Commissioner from Antigua and Barbuda about the burgeoning whale watching industry on his island nation.

Since the end of the 56th Annual Meeting in July, the West African nation of Mali has joined the IWC with the intention of voting in favor of Japan and their pro-whaling proposals at next year's meeting. And, we have additional reports that Japan has been visiting central and eastern African countries in the hopes of recruiting even more nations to vote in their favor at next year's meeting of the IWC in Ulsan.