IWC Rejects South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary Proposal at Hobart Meeting
Delegates at the International Whaling Commission in Hobart voted down the plan for a South Atlantic whale sanctuary, falling short of the required supermajority.
At the International Whaling Commission’s meeting in Hobart, delegates rejected a plan to create a new whale sanctuary in the South Atlantic, missing the three-quarter majority by four votes. The initiative, first introduced in the late 1990s by Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, would have added a third global sanctuary alongside those in the Antarctic and Indian Ocean. Germany voted in favor, while opposition came from Norway, Ivory Coast and a coalition of Caribbean states that often align with Japan’s interests.
Greenpeace marine biologist Franziska Saalfeld described the proposed area—larger than twice the United States—as a significant advance for marine protection. Matt Collis of the International Fund for Animal Welfare condemned the continued blocking by whaling nations and their supporters, even though none conduct whaling in the South Atlantic. Around 300 delegates from more than 60 countries have been gathered in Hobart since Monday, under a global moratorium that remains ignored by Norway, Iceland and Japan.
