ST. PETE BEACH,FL - The International Whaling Commission (IWC), which sets international whaling regulations, has scheduled a closed-door meeting for September 15-19 at the Trade Winds Resort, St. Pete Beach, to consider lifting the ban on commercial whale hunting.
The commission, a global body of eighty-member nations, first adopted the ban in 1982 to prevent dwindling whale populations from becoming extinct. Now, just as some studies indicate certain whale species may be showing signs of recovery, whaling countries are eager to consider returning to commercial whaling.
IWC chairman William T. Hogarth, who also serves as the Dean of the College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, is directing the closed-door meeting of the IWC Small Working Group.
"These closed-door meetings pose a grave risk to the future of the IWC and the whales it was established to protect," said Patrick R. Ramage, Global Whale Program Director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) "Whales face more threats today than at any time in history and Americans from sea to shining sea want to see them protected. The last thing we need is a secret deal to re-open whaling. Dr. Hogarth should either open up the process for scrutiny, or simply cancel the meetings."
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