International Whaling Commission meeting ends in stalemate

Last week, we reported on the status of President Obama's campaign promise to strengthen the international moratorium on commercial whaling. At the time, we rated the promise In the Works, since the administration was still preparing for the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission that concluded Wednesday June 23, 2010.

The meeting brought to a close three years of diplomatic efforts to reduce rising tensions between the pro-whaling and anti-whaling countries of the 88-member commission. The main goal of the meeting was to forge a compromise to allow Japan, Norway, and Iceland to kill whales, but only under strict regulation and at substantially reduced numbers.

Although the commission has maintained a moratorium on commercial whaling for the last 24 years, Japan, Norway and Iceland kill a combined total of about 2,000 whales per year under self-imposed quotas. About half are killed by Japanese whalers, who cite a loophole for "scientific research" to explain their kills. Norway and Iceland both filed official objections that exempt them from the moratorium.

Despite initial hopes that a compromise could be reached at this year's meeting, talks broke down after three days of negotiation behind closed doors. Several countries, including the United States, pushed for an agreement that would eventually phase out all whale hunting over time. U.S. Whaling Commissioner Monica Medina said that "all whaling, other than indigenous subsistence whaling, should come to an end." Japanese officials, however, resisted that goal, as well as attempts to set limits on their hunts in Antarctica and in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

Medina's demand that the IWC eventually eliminate whaling supports Obama's pledge to strengthen the international moratorium on commercial whaling. But because the negotiations fell apart at the meeting in Morocco, no action will be taken to enhance the ban or increase restrictions on the whaling countries.

"Continuation of the impasse here may retain the whaling moratorium on paper, but unregulated whaling outside of IWC control, by Japan, Norway, and Iceland, will now be able to continue," said Dr. Susan Lieberman, the Pew Environment Group's Deputy Director for International Policy.

Former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer said that the commission will likely fall apart unless a compromise can be reached in the next few years. Should the IWC dissolve, "the whales will be worse off," he said.

The IWC plans to reopen this issue again next year. We'll be keeping an eye on this promise as the administration heads into future negotiations, but until we see concrete action to strengthen the moratorium or impose harsher regulations on the whaling countries, we rate this promise Stalled.