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Small animals walking.
 Over the last few weeks, various
animals have made themselves apparent to delegates. The island is rich in
wildlife – the monkeys, the mongooses, and many species of birds and
butterflies. Regrettably, paradise is not without flaws and the fauna extend to
many small biting insects that become prevalent in the evening and hide under
tables to bite exposed parts. This has caused much itching and many delegates
can be seen gently scratching.
More surprising has been the arrival of a
delegation many small millipedes (all about an inch long) and these gentle
herbivores can be seen slowing making their way across the ground floor
corridors of the Marriott. It is not clear where they are going or where they
have come from.
We are waiting to see if the insect delegations have a
particular message to offer.
Saturday, Day 2 of IWC 58, starts with
overcast skies and a brisk wind.
New North Atlantic Whales Join the
hunt…..
Delegates are in their places a little after nine. Some may
be a little the worse for wear after the previous evening’s festivities. We
start with the reading of the report of the Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling
Working Group. Germany notes the improvement in population estimates in
Greenland. The rest of the report is mainly heard without comments, including
the issue of the aboriginal take of bowhead whales.
However, Austria has
three questions on grey whales:
i. What is the situation of the Makah
hunt?
ii. Did the Makah tribe go whaling with the Russian inuit, as she had
heard; and
iii. Why is there such a high rate of struck and loss in the
Russian hunt.
Russia replies that there was a resolution on improving the
welfare of ASW hutnts previously passed at the Grenada meeting and that they are
fulfilling that resolution. He notes that the Makah tribe has had many years
when it could not go whaling and continues that an agreement was made with the
Chukotka hunters in Russia to help the Makah improve their whaling skills. He
refers to this an historic event and goes on to describe the skill-sharing that
occurred.
The US now notes that the Makah have applied for authorisation
for their hunt under US law.
The Chair then reminds the meeting of
Austria’s third question and Russia replies that numbers of struck and lost
increased because they were trying to take larger whales and there is a lack of
the darting gun projectiles because there is difficulty in importing the guns
from Russia.
We work on through the report. Then the UK reminds the
meeting of its concern about the imbalanced sex ratio in the west Greenland
minke whale hunt and notes that 5 whales taken last year are reported to be
unknown sex – was this not recorded or could their sex not be determined?
Greenland replied that the sex was not recorded. (This is an important matter
because for unknown reasons more females that males are taken in this
hunt.)
West Greenland fin whales and North Atlantic humpbacks come and go
without comment.
However, then Greenland takes the floor stressing its
support for utilisation of all marine species. She notes that Greenland will
reduce its fin whale hunt voluntarily this summer because of concerns about lack
of population data. This, she claims, leaves them short of meat (220 tonnes) –
so she would like to request that the Scientific Committee give advice on
humpbacks and bowheads (in other words Greenland plans to expand their hunt to
two new species).
The UK takes the floor – “not presuming to question the
need referred to by Greenland, but slightly concerned about the request for
advice on other whale stocks. We need a detailed understanding on whale stocks.
What knowledge do we have on, in particular the bowhead stock? “
The
Chair of the Scientific Committee says that they would be pleased to look at
this issue next year.
The UK asks again, where are we with these stocks?
The SC Chair says there are possible hypotheses for one or two stocks and it is
in the workplan to look at this. The Greenlandic area is a feeding ground for
humpbacks, he adds and this needs more study.
We move on… with the news
that Greenland plans to expand its hunts.
Next the Scientific Committee
Chair, Arne Bjorge, takes us through his Committee’s work on the Revised
Management Procedure (the key process that would generate quotas if commercial
whaling was resumed) and also its work on North Atlantic minkes and fin whales.
He then goes on to report on the Committee’s work on bycatches.
Iceland
asks why progress on the assessment of the North Atlantic minkes has been so
slow – as they see it - in the scientific committee. Bjorge replies that there
have been greater priorities. Sweden then stresses the importance of
collaboration in the work on bycatch.
Australia then asks a question
about why the scientific committee is reviewing a version of the RMP as provided
by Norway and the commissioner describes a long list of ‘tweaks’ in the
Norwegian version. The UK Commissioner adds that he is not clear why the
Scientific Committee is looking at this matter anyway. The Head of Science and
Chair of the SC seem to think that it is in order – although we [WDCS] believe
that the SC should actually only be doing what it was directed to do in this
regard given, as described by the UK Commissioner, the standing consensus of the
whole commission (in resolution 1994/5) that the RMP had been accepted, and
should not be refigured.
The net result of Norway’s adjustments – as far
as we can determine – would seem to be to deliver a larger quota (no great
surprise in this).
The UK takes to the floor again – he apologises for
speaking for a third time but he says that he – and probably ‘many others around
this table’ do not support the work being done.
Outside many small
centipedes are moving around in a mysterious way… and we break for tea.
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