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The IWC has talked about the RMS for almost ten years, which the anti-whaling nations say must be in place before the whaling moratorium can be lifted.
However, under pressure from, amongst others, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the “moderate” anti-whaling nations, who have become increasingly uneasy with the present stalemate, today took an initiative to fast-track the completion of the RMS.
These countries suggested that the IWC Secretariat should prepare a draft text of the legal document for the RMS before December 2000, and that the RMS working group should meet before the end of February 2001 to discuss that draft.
“Finally, the IWC has taken a positive step toward the completion of the RMS. There have been many such meetings over the last 10 years, but with no progress. What is needed is leadership and willingness amongst the IWC-members to finish the work. Unfortunately, I have seen little evidence of any leadership and I doubt that the willingness needed will suddenly occur,” said Rune Frovik, secretary of the High North Alliance.
The countries that made the suggestion were Sweden, South Africa, Chile, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, Oman, Spain and Switzerland.
A number of governments raised reservations about the resolution, but it was adopted without a vote. Only Australia said that it could not join any consensus because it has a policy not to participate in the completion of the RMS and the ensuing setting of commercial catch quotas by the IWC.
“The High North Alliance find Australia’s position disturbing and illogical. If Australia is not willing to participate in the management of whale hunting, perhaps it is time for them to withdraw entirely from the International Whaling Commission,” Frovik said.
Japan proposed to host the meeting of the working group.
Some staunch anti-whaling countries such as New Zealand, USA and the United Kingdom are demanding that the RMS include excessive control elements that are unrealistic. Such demands include tolerating two national inspectors and one international observer onboard every boat and installing continuous satellite tracking. They also require that the scheme includes trade-control measures, while the whaling nations maintain that trade is beyond the mandate of the IWC and should rather be dealt with in a forum such as CITES.
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