New Whaling Rules for Greenland?

BBC News - Greenland is trying to eliminate its whale hunt from the control of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

The state’s whalers are angered that the IWC has declined to allow the addition of humpback whales to its annual allowance on two occasions. The move would make Greenland the only state outside the IWC to hunt the humpback whale.

The news comes just before a Florida meeting aimed at uniting the divided IWC, a “peace process” which began over a year ago. Documents sent by Greenland’s delegation shows a division still remains.

People in Greenland’s Inuit community are permitted to catch minke, fin, and bowhead whales under regulations stating that whale hunting can occur where there is a cultural and nutritional need.

At both the 2007 and 2008 IWC meetings, Greenland requested that an annual quota of 10 humpback whales be added to the permission regulations.