5月6日國際捕鯨委員會(IWC)將公布一份草案，維持目前的全球捕鯨禁令，不過現在唯一繼續捕鯨的三個國家－也就是日本、挪威與冰島，還可以繼續捕鯨10年之久。
這項提議將在今年6月於摩洛哥的阿加迪爾(Agadir)舉辦的IWC成員國年度會議前提出，IWC目前有88個會員。
如果草案通過，捕鯨國家將接受以IWC所提的最高限度來取代其自定的捕捉上限。他們也將接受監督與執法安排。
智利的IWC主席馬凱拉(Cristian Maquieira)說，「因為這是第一次通過商業捕鯨禁令，我們將對所有的捕鯨行動嚴格執行限制。協議期間會有少於數千隻的鯨魚被捕殺。除此之外，協議期間不會有其他的IWC會員國能取得捕鯨許可。」
本次提案也成立了一個南大西洋保護區，先前南美國家多次在IWC提案都沒有成功。這個提案認可對鯨魚非致命的利用方式，例如賞鯨，能夠提供沿海國家在科學、保育及管理方面相關問題的管理辦法。
「這個提案象徵著歷史性的一步，一個委員會運作的典範轉移，」安提瓜和巴布達的IWC副主委利物浦(Anthony Liverpool)說。「不是猜忌與對抗而導致協商進展困難，我們現在有機會調和彼此的歧見，加強我們對共同目標的行動力，也就是維持鯨魚族群的健康並且復育耗竭的族群。」
日本農業大臣赤松廣隆(Hirotaka Akamatsu)稱此提案是一項「重大的進展」。
根據這份協議，日本目前對南極小鬚鯨自設的配額，將從現在的每年935隻，在未來的5年內降到400隻，並在接下去的5年內降到200隻。日本沿海水域目前對賽鯨與小鬚鯨的配額則將從320隻降到210隻。
根據這項草案，全球每年將允許捕殺69隻北極露脊鯨、50隻賽鯨、12隻布氏鯨、145隻灰鯨、14隻座頭鯨、109隻長鬚鯨。至於抹香鯨則禁止捕殺。
不過這份協議內容與其他的捕撈配額規定，並不是絕對的。
美國捕鯨專員梅迪納(Monica Medina)說：「美國重申其支持商業捕鯨禁令的立場，並且反對任何解除禁令的建議。」
紐西蘭外長麥卡利(Murray McCully)說，這項提議嚴重缺乏捕鯨議題外交解決途徑的現實基礎。
「IWC的正副主席對共識所做出的決定並沒有傳達紐西蘭的希望，」麥卡利說。對南大洋所提出的捕撈限額偏離現實。提案中包含了南大洋的長鬚鯨這件事令人感到憤怒。紐西蘭人是不會接受的。
「紐西蘭一直以來所說的是，提案必須顯著地改善現況，每個提案都必須經過我們在南大洋反對捕鯨承諾的檢驗，」麥卡利說。「這個提案不符我們的標準。」
環保團體反對任何企圖以任何形式將捕鯨合法化。
海洋牧者協會(Sea Shepherd)創辦人沃森(Paul Watson)說，海洋牧者的護鯨船會回到南大洋保護區繼續第七年干擾日本捕鯨船的工作，直到達成零捕鯨的目標。
在2009-2010年南大洋的捕鯨季節中，沃森說3艘護鯨船所進行的護鯨行動，拯救了528隻鯨魚，而日本政府當時核發了935隻小鬚鯨，50隻瀕危長鬚鯨以及50隻瀕危座頭鯨的捕撈許可。
沒有座頭鯨被捕殺，長鬚鯨則被捕了一隻，另外有506隻南極小鬚鯨被日本的「研究船」所捕獲。
「即使只殺一隻鯨魚都違反了國際保育法，」沃森說。「除了保護鯨魚個體，我們也捍衛南大洋鯨魚保護區的完整性。從日本或是其他地方來的捕鯨船沒有在鯨魚保護區內合法捕殺鯨魚的權利。」
綠色和平組織日本計畫總監佐藤純一(Junichi Sato)說：「IWC成員現在必須要考量讓這個提案實現，結束商業捕鯨行為，改造IWC成為一個兼具保育而不只是管理鯨魚資源的機構。」
這個提案是IWC一個小型工作小組與捕鯨國家多年來討論的結果，為了要改變IWC的捕鯨管理制度。
去年九月，一個支持小組參與了討論，包括安提瓜和巴布達、澳大利亞，巴西、喀麥隆、德國、冰島、日本、墨西哥、紐西蘭、聖基茨和尼維斯、瑞典和美國。挪威被主席所邀請以觀察員的身分加入。
提出建議草案時，主席馬凱拉與副主席利物浦強調，這份文件不代表支持小組與小型工作小組作成了決議。
「事實上，」主席與副主席說，「它也不一定代表我們自己對最終同意文件內容的看法。相反的，提案的目的是在於促成IWC在阿迪加爾舉辦第62屆年會時進行進一步的討論。」
The world's only three whaling nations - Japan, Norway and Iceland - could continue whaling for another 10 years, even while the current global whaling moratorium is retained, under a draft proposal released on Thursday by the International Whaling Commission.
The proposal will come before the 88 IWC member countries at their annual meeting held this year in June in Agadir, Morocco.
If adopted, the whaling nations would agree to catch limits set by the IWC that are below present self-set levels. They would also agree to an oversight and enforcement arrangement.
IWC Chair Cristian Maquieira of Chile said, "For the first time since the adoption of the commercial whaling moratorium, we will have strict, enforceable limits on all whaling operations. As a result, several thousand less whales will be killed over the period of the agreement. In addition, no other IWC countries will be permitted to start hunting whales during the period."
The proposal also creates a South Atlantic Sanctuary, which South American nations have repeatedly proposed at IWC meetings without success. It recognizes the non-lethal value and uses of whales, such as whale watching, as a management option for coastal states and addresses related scientific, conservation and management issues of such uses.
"This proposal represents an historic step, a paradigm shift in how the Commission would operate," said IWC Vice-Chair Anthony Liverpool of Antigua and Barbuda. "Rather than the mistrust and confrontation that have led to little progress, we now have the opportunity to reconcile our differences, and so strengthen actions related to our shared goal of maintaining healthy whale populations and recovering depleted stocks."
Japanese Agriculture Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu called the draft proposal "significant progress."
Under the proposal, Japan's current self-set annual quota of 935 Antarctic minke whales would be lowered to 400 over the next five years, then cut to 200 for the next five years. The country's current quota of 320 sei and minke whales in coastal waters would be cut to 210.
As drafted, the proposal would allow 69 bowhead whales, 50 sei whales, 12 Bryde's whales, 145 gray whales, 14 humpbacks and 109 fin whales to be hunted each year around the world. No sperm whales could be killed.
But this and all other catch quotas in the proposal are by no means definite.
U.S. Whaling Commissioner Monica Medina said, "The United States affirms its support of the commercial whaling moratorium and will oppose any proposal that would lift the moratorium."
New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said the proposal "falls seriously short" of providing a realistic basis for a diplomatic solution to the whaling issue.
"The proposed consensus decision put forward by the IWC Chair and Vice Chair has not delivered what New Zealand wants," McCully said. "The catch limits proposed in the Southern Ocean are unrealistic. The proposal to include fin whales in the Southern Ocean is inflammatory. New Zealanders will not accept this."
"New Zealand has always said that the proposal must offer significant improvement over the status quo and that any proposal will be tested against our commitment to stop whaling in the Southern Ocean," said McCully. "This does not meet those tests."
Environmental groups are opposed to any attempt to legitimize whaling in any form.
Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson said Sea Shepherd ships will return to the Southern Ocean Sanctuary to interfere with the Japanese whaling vessels there for a seventh year "unless a kill quota of zero whale kills is established."
During the 2009-2010 season in the Southern Ocean, Watson says intervention by the three Sea Shepherd ships saved 528 whales out of the 935 minke whales, 50 endangered fin whales and 50 endangered humpback whales for which the Japanese government had issued permits.
No humpback whales were taken, only one fin whale was killed and 506 Antarctic minke whales were taken by the Japanese "research" vessels.
"The killing of even one whale is a violation of international conservation law," said Watson. "In addition to protecting the lives of individual whales we are also defending the integrity of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Whaling ships from Japan or anywhere else have no legal right to kill whales within the Sanctuary."
"The IWC members now must take this proposal forward, end commercial whaling and transform the IWC into a body that conserves and not just manages whales," said Sato.
The proposal comes after several years of discussions about changing the IWC's whaling management regime by a Small Working Group that includes the whaling nations.
Last September, a Support Group was added to the discussions, including Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Brazil, Cameroon, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, St. Kitts and Nevis, Sweden and the United States. Norway was invited by the chairman to participate as an observer.
In offering the draft proposal, Chairman Maquieira and Vice Chairman Liverpool emphasized that the document does "not represent an agreed approach of the Support Group or the Small Working Group."
"In fact," said the chair and vice chair, "neither does it necessarily represent our own views regarding the content of a finally agreed document. Rather it is being put forward to facilitate the necessary further discussions leading up to 62nd annual IWC meeting in Agadir."
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In my healing journey and learning to attain the breath awareness, I become aware of the reality that all the creatures of the world are breathing the same breath. Take action, here and now. From my physical being to the every corner of this out of balance's planet.
