IFAW applauds IUCN vote to end Japan's so-called scientific whaling

LONDON, Aug. 31 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has voted overwhelmingly against Japan's so-called scientific whaling in the Antarctic and the North Pacific.

The IUCN, which has 89 member countries including the US, the UK and Japan itself, voted by a large majority for a halt to Japan's scientific whaling, which the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) believes is merely commercial whaling by another name.

The Union's four-yearly World Conservation Congress starts in Honolulu, Hawaii, this Thursday (September 1). For the first time, several decisions were taken by electronic vote prior to the opening of the congress.

The motion, which was passed by a 95% majority, calls on Japan to stop issuing the 'Special Permits' with which the Japanese government authorises takes of whales for supposed scientific purposes, enabling it to circumvent the global ban on commercial whaling.

So far in 2016, the Japanese whaling fleet has used Special Permits to take more than 300 minke whales, including 200 pregnant females, 25 Bryde's whales and 90 sei whales.

Japan ignored international law and global opposition to resume its illegal slaughter of whales in the Southern Ocean. In March 2014, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that its so-called scientific whaling in the Antarctic was illegal and not for the purposes of science.

Patrick Ramage, Global Whale Programme Director for IFAW, said: "It is good to see another respected and influential forum like the IUCN lend its voice to this issue and send a clear message to Japan that its cruel and unscientific commercial whaling is unacceptable.

"This follows not just the ruling of the World Court but the scientific committee of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and independent experts reporting to the IWC have shown that Japan's rationale for its so-called research is spurious."

Japan's whaling programme comes up for scrutiny again at the 66^th Meeting of the IWC in Portoroz, Slovenia, this October. In view of the large-scale abuse of the Special Permit system, many members of the Commission have concluded that the unilateral issuance of Special Permits by individual governments should be ended, and that in future only permits pre-approved by the IWC should be recognised.

Ramage added: "It is time for Japan to abandon its whaling and join the many other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom in studying living whales in their ocean environment in the 21^st Century.

"IFAW continues to call on anti-whaling governments to bring international law to bear on Japan again in a bid to end its needless slaughter of whales once and for all."

The theme of the 16^th World Conservation Congress is Planet at the Crossroads.

IFAW supports responsible whale watching as an alternative to the cruelty of whaling, but opposes all commercial or so-called scientific whaling as there is no humane way to kill a whale.

About IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare)
Founded in 1969, IFAW saves animals in crisis around the world. With projects in more than 40 countries, IFAW rescues individual animals, works to prevent cruelty to animals and advocates for the protection of wildlife and habitats. For more information, visit www.ifaw.org. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

SOURCE International Fund for Animal Welfare

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