The International Whaling Commission has agreed to delay making decisions on two contested proposals at its annual meeting, taking place in Chile.
The commission said it would appoint a working group to seek a consensus on a pro-whaling bid to reintroduce commercial whaling and a conservationist bid to set up a South Atlantic whale sanctuary. The 20 nation working group has no deadline but is expected to produce a report for the commission at next year's meeting in Portugal. Japan, the main pro-whaling country, has long threatened to withdraw from the commission if it does not agree to re-authorise the commercial hunting of whales. Japan currently kills around 1,000 whales per year in a loophole which allows killing whales for scientific purposes.
(Deutsche Welle)
more info >>
<< Back