CITES Meeting In October

By William Rossiter, CSI President

CITES COP13, the 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, met on 2-14 October, 2004, in Bangkok, Thailand. Among more than 50 proposals concerning some of the 30,000 plants and animals regulated for trade by CITES, some of CSI's interests were minke whales, Irrawaddy dolphins, and Non Detriment Findings (NDF).

True NDFs would have prevented the export of dolphins from the Solomon Islands to Mexico last year, and a massive trade of at least 165 bottlenose dolphins exported live from Cuba between 1986 and 2001. Paring away the technical, diplomatic language, the intent of CITES was to rely on a nation's expert, called a Scientific Authority, to certify and monitor exports so they "will not be detrimental to the survival of that species". In reality the NDF language is so soft and toothless that it is routinely ignored, with plants and animals traded worldwide without interference or penalty. Putting it simply, the lax NDF threatens CITES itself, by undermining international confidence and respect.

CITES supported the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986 by listing all "great whale" species on Appendix I, intended to ban international trade of whale products. But Japan has a sophisticated attack on the IWC moratorium, coordinated with an attack on CITES that proposes to "delist" certain minke whale stocks, to enable an open international market, and if future IWC meetings provide a Revised Management Scheme (RMS) and stop the moratorium, commercial whaling will be here.

Thailand is expected to call for a ban on trade of Irrawaddy dolphins from Southeast Asia, as they are wanted for commercial display in aquariums and zoos, particularly in Japan and Singapore. Irrawaddy dolphins are critically endangered by fishing gear entanglements and explosives, and habitat destruction from gold mining and other operations.

Results were not available as Whales Alive! went to print, but we know every representative of the Species Survival Network (http://www.ssn.org/) is fighting hard at CITES, and there is much at stake. SSN is a consortium of environmental organizations, including CSI, from most of the 166 signatory countries to CITES. SSN's Whale and Dolphin Working Group is led by Sue Fisher, of the UK's Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS). Sue's comments below are an excellent review of the bewildering farce of whaling today, and should motivate you to support these remarkable people and organizations that fight so hard:

Japan, Iceland and Norway conduct commercial whaling in defiance of the IWC moratorium.

Japan and Iceland exploit a provision in the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) which permits limited whaling for scientific purposes. Under this provision, Japan conducts two "scientific whaling" programmes annually, hunting up to 440 minke whales in the Antarctic (in a whale sanctuary designated by the IWC in 1994) and 150 minke whales, ten sperm whales, 50 sei whales and 50 Bryde's whales in the North Pacific. All products from the hunts are sold onto Japan's domestic market for commercial consumption. Japan has increased its hunt several times in recent years and is expected to do so again. Iceland hunted 38 minke whales for scientific purposes in the North Atlantic in 2003, out of a proposed 250 whales annually. It will hunt 25 minke whales in 2004. The IWC adopted a resolution in 2003 stating that scientific whaling operations "represent an act contrary to the spirit of the moratorium on commercial whaling and to the will of the Commission" and that the ICRW "is not intended to be exploited in order to provide whale meat for commercial purposes and shall not be so used".

Norway has lodged an objection to the moratorium decision and is, therefore, not bound by the ban. It conducts commercial whaling on Northeastern Atlantic and North Atlantic Central stocks of minke whale, and has killed over 5000 whales since 1991 (it allocated itself a quota of 670 in 2004). The IWC regularly criticises Norway for using a non-approved version of its draft quota-calculating mechanism and hunting minke whales outside of IWC control and oversight. In May 2004, the Norwegian Parliament recommended a "considerable increase" in minke whale quotas and a consideration of scientific whaling on other species.

Norway, Japan and Iceland have lodged reservations against the CITES Appendix I listing of minke whales. In 2001, the IWC (Resolution 2001-5) called on Norway to "halt all whaling activities under its jurisdiction" and refrain from issuing export permits for whale products. However, Norway exported two tonnes of minke whale products to Japan and up to 15 tonnes to Iceland in 2002. In 2003, Norway also exported over six tonnes of minke whale meat to the Faroe Islands, which does not hold a reservation to the Appendix I listing and remains subject to the CITES prohibitions, according to the CITES Secretariat.

In related news the European Union in early September banned the import to the EU of narwhal tusks and products from Greenland. The International Whaling Commission has concluded that not only is the annual Greenland kill of perhaps 600 narwhal driving the species nearer to extinction, but that even a reduced quota of only 100 allows a risk that the population will vanish within 10 years.

Reading this numbing review is difficult, but necessary. Not to learn all the numbers, but to be reminded that, not only are whales far from being saved, we may be on the threshold of a new whaling era. Be motivated and committed; keep the fight alive.