Brussels, 19/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament, in Brussels on Thursday 19 February, gave its backing to the maintenance of the global moratorium on commercial whaling and the ban on international trade in whale products. Through its adoption without amendment of the report by Elspeth Attwooll (ALDE, UK) on Community action on whaling (see EUROPE 9824 on the summary of the report adopted by the EP fisheries committee), the European Parliament is seeking to put an end to “scientific whaling” and calls for substantial regions of oceans and seas to be designated as sanctuaries in which all whaling is indefinitely prohibited.
The EP says it respects the need for a limited amount of hunting to be done by those traditionally engaged in it for purposes of subsistence, but calls for “much greater emphasis” into and use of “humane killing methods”. MEPs call for any such hunting to take place only with clear quotas, set on the advice of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Scientific Committee and regulated under strict controls which incorporate full recording and reporting to the IWC. They also draw attention to the need to use more selective fishing gear to avoid by-catches of other species, particularly cetaceans.
A recent study carried out by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature indicates that almost one in four cetacean species is under threat, with nine species listed as either endangered or critically endangered. Since the introduction of the moratorium, there is evidence of improvement in the populations of certain species particularly larger whales. It also appears that the number of whales killed has actually increased since the start of the moratorium. There are suggestions, too, that commercial use has been made of meat from whales killed for “scientific purposes”. Whales are threatened by collision with ships, fishing gear, climate change and other hazards such as pollution. (L.C./transl.rt)