13 June 2010

In 2010 the world has reached a new crossroads in the battle to conserve and protect the world's whale populations with the International Whaling Commission considering a proposal that would once again legitimise commercial whaling operations.

Governments are being asked to allow limited commercial whaling and Iceland, Japan and Norway to hunt almost 13,000 whales over the next 10 years. This proposal would permit whaling in the IWC whale sanctuary in the Southern Ocean and would also allow whaling on threatened species like fin and sei whales.

The Australian Government is committed to the conservation of whales and cannot accept this proposal as it currently stands.