South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary Bid Blocked Again

SYDNEY, Oct 2 (Bernama-dpa) -- A proposal to create a new whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic has failed again at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in the Australian city of Hobart, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

The proposal, first put forward by Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay in the late 1990s, fell four votes short of the required three-quarter majority, according to participants.

It would have created the world’s third whale sanctuary, alongside existing protected areas in the Antarctic and the Indian Ocean.

Germany voted in favour. Greenpeace said other supporters, including Finland and Luxembourg, were not present in Tasmania, while opponents maintained their resistance.

“The planned South Atlantic sanctuary – more than twice the size of the United States (US) – would have been an important step forward for marine conservation,” Greenpeace marine biologist Franziska Saalfeld said.

Opposition came from countries including Norway, Ivory Coast and several Caribbean states.

Japan, which left the IWC in 2019, has forged an alliance with several African and Caribbean countries that are seen as representing Tokyo’s interests in the commission, according to conservation groups.

Matt Collis of the International Fund for Animal Welfare criticised whaling nations and their supporters for continuing to block the proposal despite not hunting whales in the region.

Around 300 delegates from more than 60 countries have been meeting in Hobart since Monday.

Despite a global moratorium on commercial whaling, Norway, Iceland and Japan continue to conduct commercial hunts.

-- BERNAMA-dpa