An working group within the International Whaling Commission released a draft plan on Monday that would condone whale hunting for the first time in nearly 30 years, according to numerous reports.
Proponents of the plan say it could actually reduce the number of whales killed each year. Currently three nations–Japan, Norway and Iceland–do not recognize an international moratorium on whaling issued in 1986. These countries say whaling is a part of their cultures, and Japan, in particular, kills hundreds of whales every year, with levels increasing signficantly.
Though the draft plan does not set yearly quotas, it is generally believed that they would be lower than current kill levels, and perhaps decrease over a ten-year span.
However, environmental groups like Greenpeace are calling the plan a travesty, saying it would legitimize the "scientific" loophole under which Japan has continued whaling ove the last two decades.
If approved during a committee meeting in Florida next month, the plan will go to vote in the annual meeting of the IWC in June.
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Australia seems to be the only country concerned enough to take action. http://bit.ly/9uYHSo Hunting whales for scientific research is just an excuse to hunt for meat. Some cultures need to change their ways to save the environment and in this case, the whale population.