Greenland denied extra whale hunting
Greenland wanted to hunt ten humpback whales each year for food
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Friday, 27, Jun 2008 12:30
A proposal to allow Greenland to hunt more whales has been rejected by worldwide representatives at the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
If successful the proposal would have seen local communities being able to hunt ten humpback whales for extra meat each year until 2012.
The scientific committee decided that the extra catch would not harm the population but debate at the IWC meeting in Chile focussed around whether Greenland could justify the additional catch.
The IWC said delegates were "deeply divided" over the matter and the proposal was eventually rejected by 36 votes to 29 with two abstentions.
The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) welcomed the vote, saying Greenland had not made a convincing case that it needed more whale meat to meet its subsistence needs.
It claims that there is evidence of extensive commercialisation of whale meat across Greenland and significant stockpiles of unused meat.
"We are extremely relieved to know that humpback whales are safe from hunting in European waters," said Sue Fisher, WDCS whaling programme lead.
"The adoption of this flawed proposal from Greenland would have set a terrible precedent for allowing commercial elements in aboriginal subsistence hunting."