For the first time since a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling was passed twenty years ago, pro-whaling nations are expected to dominate the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) later this month.The IWC is holding its plenary session from June 16 to 20 in the Caribbean island state of St Kitts and Nevis. In the past month, Guatemala, the Marshall Islands and Cambodia have joined the commission, bringing its total membership to 69. Whaling experts contacted by The Scientist said the Marshall Islands and Cambodia were likely to support the pro-whaling stance of Japan at the meeting. The expected outcome is that countries in favor of the practice will slightly outnumber those countries opposed to the practice, including the USA, Britain and Australia. ?If it wasn?t for a bit of sloppy organization last year, Japan would have already had a simple majority,? said Peter Harrison, director...
The Scientistvisited the Marshall IslandsThe Scientistscientific researchNick GalesThe Scientistspincock@the-scientist.comhttp://www.iwcoffice.org/meetings/meeting2006.htmhttp://www.iwcoffice.org/other/newadditions.htmhttp://www.scu.edu.au/research/whales/director.htmlhttp://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2006/s1652232.htmThe Scientisthttp://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/23152/http://www.aad.gov.au/default.asp?casid=11179
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