The controversy will continue when the 54th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meets in Shimonoseki, Japan, 20-24 May. You can expect the meeting to be the usual talk shop, with hardly anything of substance happening, but as ever there could be some hot topics on the agenda:

Japan's expansion of scientific whaling
Japan plans to expand its research program to include the take of 50 sei whales. An additional 50 minke whales will be caught by local whalers who have not been whaling since the moratorium. This is as well as its regular quota of  540 minke whales for research purposes. In 2000, Japan added 50 Bryde's whales and 10 sperm whales. Look out for a hate resolution asking Japan to halt the research, despite it being commended by scientists and mandated by the Convention. Don’t be surprised so see an argument also about Norway’s decision to take 60 white-sided and white-beaked dolphins for research purposes. 

Lifting the moratorium?
The pro-whaling nations will argue that it is high time the IWC lifted the whaling moratorium as there is sufficient scientific evidence that several whale stocks can be hunted sustainably. The anti-whaling nations don't want to lift the moratorium, and as they have the majority, the ban will stay in place. Some argue that maintaining the ban indefinitely will soon prove impossible, and that the IWC ultimately will split apart under the strain of its contradictions.

Sanctuaries
Hoping for third time lucky, Australia and New Zealand once again will propose a South Pacific whale sanctuary. The proposal was rejected at the last two meetings, so expect the same this year. The same expectation applies to a proposal by Brazil and Argentina to set up a South Atlantic whale sanctuary. The continuation of the Indian Ocean Sanctuary, established in 1979, will be reviewed this year.

Aboriginal subsistence whaling
All of the aboriginal subsistence whaling quotas in the US, Russia, Greenland and St. Vincent and the Grenadines are up for renewal this year. After a 70 year whaling hiatus, the Makah Tribe of Neah Bay, Washington, US, was granted a five year grey whale quota in 1997. The Makah quota is a thorny issue for anti-whaling nations, as on the one hand they need the support of the US in the crusade against other whaling nations, and on the other, supporting the smallest expansion of whaling is counter to their stance.

Trade in whale products
Some people don’t like whaling and logically therefore don’t like trade in whale products either. Being an economic activity, a condition for whaling is access to markets and consumer demand. Expect the anti-whaling forces to try to portray whale meat as inedible, poisonous food. Some will also want to debate international trade in minke whale products, as negotiations take place between Japan/Iceland (import) and Norway (export).  

Iceland's re-entry to the IWC
Is Iceland a member to the IWC? The majority says no, but have they any power to say so? After having left in 1992, Iceland re-entered the IWC last year with a reservation to the whaling moratorium, which means that the whaling ban does not apply to Iceland. The IWC anti-whaling majority didn’t like that and claimed that Iceland’s membership was invalid and denied Iceland voting rights. The debate will probably continue this year right at the start of the meeting.

Resolutions condemning whaling nations
It is likely that the anti-whaling faction will pass some resolutions condemning the whaling nations, e.g. Norway for continuing commercial whaling, Japan for continuing research whaling, Canada for taking a bowhead from time to time and perhaps also Greenland for hunting beluga and narwhal. These resolutions are adopted by a simple majority and are non-binding. They are smoke without fire, merely expressions of opinions.