Commercial whaling was banned under a 1986 International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium, but Japan still attempts to kill hundreds each year under the guise of research. Iceland and Norway have also conducted limited whale hunts in opposition to the moratorium.

The new proposal would set strict limits on catches in an effort to appease anti-whaling nations like Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Japan says it will end its annual research hunt in the Southern Ocean if allowed to whale commercially in Japanese coastal waters.

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd recently set a November deadline for Japan to stop its Southern Ocean whaling or face an international legal challenge to be launched by his government.

Environmental groups have slammed the prospect of the IWC approving a resumption of commercial whaling. “We are at a critical juncture for both whaling and ocean conservation. A return to commercial whaling would not only be a disaster for whales but will send shock waves through international ocean conservation efforts,” said Greenpeace Australia Pacific Chief Executive Linda Selvey.

“The proposal rewards Japan for decades of reprehensible behavior at the IWC and in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary,” said John Frizell, head of the Greenpeace whales campaign.

The IWC working group considering the resumption of commercial whaling will meet in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla., in early March to negotiate a final agreement. If approved, it would then be voted on at the next IWC annual meeting in Morocco during June.

Photo: Greenpeace