Humane Society International


Conservation Countries Manage to Narrowly Hold the Line on Secret Ballots and Protections for Small Whales

WASHINGTON (June 16, 2006) -- In an unexpectedly positive turn of events at the 58th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in St. Kitts, the conservation countries narrowly retained the simple majority in the early hours of the meeting. Because the majority of parties to the IWC are anti-whaling, retaining the simple majority for these countries is crucial to the welfare of whales, ensuring that the IWC does not return to the days of commercial whaling.

The indication came when the first vote of the day dismissed Japan's proposal to remove small cetaceans from the agenda, allowing the IWC to maintain competency over the world's small whales and dolphins, the most endangered marine mammals. The deciding vote came from Belize, which broke ranks with its Caribbean allies, perhaps the first time a country from this region voted on behalf of its citizens rather than Japan. The vote was 32 to 30, with one abstention.

Japan's proposal to adopt secret ballot voting was also voted down in a 33 to 30 vote, with one abstention.

Patricia Forkan, president of Humane Society International, said: "It isn't business as usual here; each vote has been too close to call. This should be a wake-up call to the public worldwide. Saving the whales is an hour-to-hour struggle here."

Media Contacts:
Betsy Dribben in St. Kitts, bdribben@hsus.org, 301-675-2213
Polly Shannon in U.S., pshannon@hsus.org, 703-283-5104