FOR UPDATES ON OUR WHALING CAMPAIGN - PLEASE SEE OUR END WHALING PAGES

2002:

Fears of a pro-whaling majority were blown out of the water as victory for whales was celebrated at the close of this year's meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Ulsan, Korea.

From Ulsan, WSPA's Director of Communications, Philip Lymbery, summed up the meeting for the Whalewatch coalition in saying, "This year's outcome reflects popular concern at the inherent cruelty of whaling. In a year when we thought all was lost, the future of whales and their welfare came out on top. Through working together worldwide, we can continue to save the whales."

Welcome outcomes

Despite the accession of six pro-whaling countries into the IWC, tactical lobbying and absentees helped anti-whaling nations maintain the majority, ensuring that the inherent cruelty of whaling remains firmly on the political agenda. The main outcomes of the meeting include:

• A major threat to the moratorium on whaling put forward by Japan was defeated by 23 votes to 29 against.
  
• Japan's ongoing scientific whaling programme was condemned by a 30 votes to 27 majority.
  
• Cruelty re-emerged as an important issue in the whaling debate, with countries reaching consensus on the need to examine welfare issues in detail.
  
• A pro-whaling compromise deal put forward by Denmark, which WSPA feared could increase the number of whales killed, was overwhelmingly defeated by 26 votes to 2.

Ongoing concerns

The WSPA-led Whalewatch coalition remains concerned at the killing of over 1500 whales each year by Japan, Norway, and Iceland, as there is no humane way to kill a whale at sea. Whalewatch will continue its work to counter Japan's threat that next year will be "the turning point of history" and that "real change is soon to come."

Further reactions from Whalewatch coalition members that attended the IWC meeting in Korea.