Whale hunting is a stain on our nation

Tue, May 22. 2012

Editor: Why did Ministers and Whaling Commissioners from the OECS countries huddle for two days at a hotel in Villa with only one other country – Japan – in preparation for the June 2012 meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC)? And, why were the reasons for this meeting shrouded in secrecy with no official press release or ‘Communiqué’ afterwards about what was discussed and how the discussions benefit the people of our country?{{more}}

None of the OECS countries, except St Vincent and the Grenadines, is known to have any interest in killing large whales. At the meeting our Whaling Commissioner boasted that “SVG is the smallest whaling nation and the only country in the OECS that is a whaling nation.” No offence to the Commissioner, but he should think about bragging that ours is the only Latin American and Caribbean country that is killing these magnificent mammals that nurtures their young in the same manner as human mothers, is not to our credit. His disclosure that SVG is proposing an amendment of the quota to 24 from 20, due to an extension of the quota period, is a move in the wrong direction. It is a backward move.

Under the IWC rules, St Vincent and the Grenadines has permission to take 20 Humpback whales over the period 2008-2012. This allocation is in response to a claim that our “aboriginal” people in Bequia traditionally depend on whales for food. IWC quotas are meant to be based on “relevant stocks from which indigenous groups, whose needs have been recognized by the IWC, can take whales”. However, the Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines has never provided a statement in support of its “aboriginal” quota.

Evidence of SVG’s poor reporting on its whaling activities is the statement made last year by the UK Commissioner to the IWC who said about St Vincent and the Grenadines: “We expressed our disappointment at IWC63 at the lack of adequate data to support the aboriginal hunts of North Atlantic humpback whales off St. Vincent and the Grenadines”.

We also know that rules are not consistently applied and enforced in SVG over how whales – and what whales – are hunted and killed. For instance, our country is specifically forbidden to hunt and kill calves. Yet, it is normal for whalers to first target calves, wounding or killing them so as to attract their mothers in utter violation of the international guidelines under which whales should be taken for food. The practice is a shameful stain on our nation.

Hon. Saboto Caesar, Minister of Fisheries, said at the opening of last week’s whaling meeting that whaling in Bequia is for the purposes of “food security.” How an average of one whale killed per year could be necessary for “food security” in Bequia, is very puzzling. What is certain is that eating whale meat in Bequia is not necessary for human survival there. The Minister also said, “Our whalers hunt in small open boats, using sails and the objective is to secure our food.” That is a tale of ancient times, unrelated to what actually occurs in modern day Bequia. He did not recognize that for years it has been reported that speed boats are used to assist the sail boats in the whale hunt. Within the last two years about one quarter of one of the whales that was caught was not sold or used in any way due to a dispute surrounding the catch. Surely if the meat was necessary for human survival it would not have been left to rot.

It is interesting to hear the Minister speak with such confidence about the manner in which the whales are killed in Bequia. Perhaps on that basis, the Government will improve upon its reputation of not providing proper vital scientific information to the IWC about the method and numbers of our whale kills and strikes (a strike is when whale is harpooned but not landed).

In any case, the killing of whales in Bequia, in my opinion, does not constitute an aboriginal activity. It began in 1875 with Scottish William Wallace, who learnt the practice from Yankee whaling ships. It began as such in the Colonial period and not with the indigenous Caribs or the Garifuna (most of who had been long exiled by this point).

The pro whaling position of OECS countries and their support for Japan’s killing of whales under the guise of “scientific research” has attracted the great disapproval of our Latin American neighbours. These countries are known as the “Buenos Aries” group and comprise Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Uruguay.

In Latin America, whale watching has become a popular tourism activity. Reports show that there are now 18 countries in the region that promote it, including Dominica. Whale watching brings tourists, foreign exchange and employment to our shores. Whale killing brings us a bad reputation.

Today there is very little aboriginal whaling around the world. The remaining true aborigines, live in harsh conditions on ice caps. They are Chukots in Russia’s Siberia and Inuits in Alaska. They do actually need to hunt whales to live. Definitely not so in Bequia.

It is past the time for us in St Vincent and the Grenadines to stop the killing of humpback whales. But if whale hunting is to continue, the very least that the Government should do is ensure that whale hunting is done in strictly regulated conditions and with the proper recording of data so that we do not further hurt our nation’s reputation in the world community or our image as a tourism country.

It is time to embrace conservation. The value of whales to our economy is much greater if they are alive than dead. Our Government should lead the way in promoting and incentivizing our whale watching industry. The rewards to our people in jobs, foreign exchange earnings and standing in the tourism industry are far greater than in killing whales.

Louise Mitchell Joseph