MUNICH and LONDON, February 24, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- A rift between countries continues to widen ahead of a special meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Florida on 4th - 5th March, where a controversial decision on resuming humpback whale hunts off Greenland will be voted upon.

Although supported by the Nordic European countries, the Danish proposal to allow a quota to hunt ten humpback whales for the first time in almost 25 years has previously failed to win enough votes, and continues to strain relationships between European Union (EU) members, who must all vote the same way at the special meeting.

The vote may even cast doubt on the long term future of the IWC itself.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) and The World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) have questioned the IWC's credibility if it grants Greenland's request for an increased quota and are urging the 25 European members of the IWC to reject the proposal.

In a new, joint report "Questionable Quotas", WDCS and WSPA challenge the proposed humpback catch, and reveal serious failings by Greenland in its current 'subsistence' whaling operations including:

    
    - Inefficient processing methods, wasting up to 80% of each fin whale
      killed.
    - A current surplus (not a deficit as claimed) of whale products.
    - A refusal to substantiate its claim to need hundreds of tonnes of whale
      meat.
    - Whale products made available to all 55,000 residents, not just those
      needing whales for subsistence.
    - Widespread commercialisation and sale of whale products, contrary to
      the IWC's criteria of 'subsistence' and local use.

Claire Bass, of WSPA's marine mammal programme, said: "Around 25% of the whales killed for 'aboriginal subsistence' purposes in Greenland end up on supermarket shelves - as far as we're concerned commercial whaling was banned in 1986 and that should apply to Greenland as much as any other nation. It's simply unacceptable to add humpback whales to Greenland's shopping list."

Sue Fisher, of WDCS's anti-whaling programme urges the IWC to reject the request: "Greenland is not demonstrating that it needs more whales. The IWC will lose all credibility if it grants the Greenlandic proposal to resume humpback whaling. It's incumbent on European members to finally climb off the fence and block this proposal."

EU IWC members will meet again on Friday to agree how they will vote on the proposal in early March. If the EU still cannot agree on its position and instead abstains, conservationists are worried that remaining pro-whaling majority will adopt this ill-conceived, flawed and harmful proposal.

    
    Media Contacts:

    For more information and interviews please contact:

    WDCS, Nicolas Entrup, phone: +49(0)-171-1423-117, e-mail:
    nicolas.entrup@wdcs.org, http://www.wdcs.org

    WSPA International, Bruce Sparrow, phone: +44(0)207-587-5014, e-mail:
    mediatemp2@wspa-international.org

http://www.wspa-international.org