A UNIVERSAL METAPHOR: AUSTRALIA’S OPPOSITION TO

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COMMERCIAL WHALING

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Environment Australia

2005

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Contents

CONTENTS II

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY VI

RECOMMENDATIONS IX

GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS XV

CHAPTER 1. THE NATIONAL TASK FORCE AND ITS PROCEEDINGS 1

Part 1. The Mandate and Recommendations of the Task Force 1

Part 2. The Proceedings of the Task Force 1

Terms of Reference 2

Task Force members 3

CHAPTER 2. AUSTRALIA’S OPPOSITION TO COMMERCIAL WHALING 5

The precautionary principle: international best conservation practice 5

Ethical considerations 7

The lack of necessity for commercial whaling 11

CHAPTER 3. THE HISTORY OF WHALING AND ITS REGULATION 17

The International Whaling Commission 17

The moratorium. 19

Other international agreements relevant to whales 20

Conclusion 24

CHAPTER 4. CURRENT WHALING ACTIVITIES AND THE POTENTIAL FOR RESUMPTION OF

COMMERCIAL WHALING 26

Part 1. Whaling under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) 26

Special permits. 26

Objections 27

Aboriginal subsistence whaling. 27

Whaling outside the ICRW 29

Part 2. The potential to Resume Commercial Whaling 30

Conclusions 33

CHAPTER 5. THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST COMMERCIAL WHALING 35

Part 1. The Inhumaneness of Whaling 35

Introduction 35

Developments in whale killing methods 35

Current methods of killing whales 37

Process for considering humane killing within the IWC 40

Definitions of humane killing 43

Time to death 43

Other considerations 45

Conclusion 46

Part 2. Conservation and Sustainable Development 46

Agenda 21 from Rio 46

Status of world whale stocks 47

Problems inherent in management of marine living resources 48

Part 3. Moral/Ethical Arguments 52

Defining sustainable use and sustainable development 53

Principles of sustainable use and sustainable development 54

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and Agenda 21 55

The ethical dimension 57

Conclusion 59

CHAPTER 6. AUSTRALIA’S POSITION ON WHALING. 61

Frost Inquiry 62

Conclusion 64

Attachment 6.1—Terms of Reference for the Inquiry into Whales and Whaling 1978. 66

Attachment 6.2—Implementation of Frost Report Recommendations 67

CHAPTER 7 COMMUNITY ACTION AND SUPPORT 69

Part 1. The Role of NGOs 69

Introduction 69

NGOs and a ban on whaling 70

Working with NGOs 71

Pro-whaling NGOs 72

The IWC and NGOs 73

Part 2. Consistency of Promoting Australia’s Position - An NGO Perspective 74

Concerns raised by NGOs 74

Strategy Implications 75

Conclusion 76

Attachment 7.1 A select list of whale NGOs 77

APPENDICES 81

Appendix 1. Submissions to the Task Force 81

Appendix 2. Membership of the International Whaling Commission 85

Appendix 3. Whale products (tonnes) production by the Japanese whaling industry (1966-1985) 87

Appendix 4. Whale meat consumption per capita in Japan 88

Appendix 5. Text of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, Washington, 1946 89