The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established in 1946 to "provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks" and "thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry." By that time, the whaling industry had already severely depleted many of the world's great whale populations. Gray, Bowhead and Right whales were already considered commercially extinct. Yet it was not until 1982 that members of the IWC voted to adopt a moratorium on commercial whaling that would take effect in 1986. Today pro-whaling nations, led by Japan and Norway, are gaining ground in the IWC. More IWC members are adopting weaker positions on commercial whaling as a result of Japan and Norway's tactics. If the present trend goes unchecked, the IWC will once again sanction commercial whaling, putting the world's remaining whales at risk.
In the face of increased whaling by Japan and Norway, a number of IWC countries have indicated that they might be prepared to tolerate a return to some form of commercial whaling.
This trend was exemplified during the IWC meeting in 2000 when a number of countries sponsored a resolution for speeding the development of the Revised Management Scheme (RMS). The RMS is the set of rules that would be used if the IWC agreed to allow commercial whaling. Its completion and adoption is required before the IWC can lift the moratorium on whaling.
The countries that put forward the initiative include Chile, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Mexico, Oman, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. Their support for developing the RMS may have been, at least in part, a good will gesture toward the whaling countries. Whatever their intentions, however, the development of the RMS marks a shift in favour of whaling.
Greenpeace believes it is unnecessary and unwise to embark on development of a scheme whose only purpose is to allow for a resumption of commercial whaling. It brings no conservation benefits to whales and does nothing to assist the recovery of whale populations, which were depleted by commercial whaling (some of it conducted under the auspices of the IWC) and remain depleted. For these reasons, Greenpeace strongly opposes the completion and adoption of the RMS.
