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Whale Sanctuary Or Australian Red Herring? Adelaide, Australia, Friday 30 June 2000: The highly orchestrated public and political drumbeat by Australian officials for the creation of a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary is a “red herring” designed to misdirect the attention of the press and public from the real issues facing the 52nd Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) here, July 3-6, according to the IWMC – World Conservation Trust. “The call for a South Pacific Whale Sanctuary is yet one more barrier added to 14 years of deliberate delays keeping the IWC from finishing work on a practical and needed global whale and whaling management plan,” said Eugene Lapointe, president of IWMC – World Conservation Trust. “This sanctuary provides no benefit to the whales. It’s simply a hypocritical maneuver by hypocritical politicians to benefit their political careers.” At the recent meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) held April 10-20 in Gigiri, Kenya, officials of IWC were told in no uncertain terms that the patience of the world conservation community has grown thin waiting for the Commission to fulfill its statutory mandate and complete work on the whale and whaling management process. “Not only is the credibility of the IWC and its leadership in jeopardy, but the whaling nations and cultures will either ignore the toothless IWC and resume whaling or seek regulatory mechanisms elsewhere to assure the world that their whaling efforts are sustainable and that cetaceans, large and small, will be conserved based on science and not emotion,” said Lapointe, who served as Secretary General of CITES from 1982-1990. “Deceiving Australia’s and the world’s school children and the public in general that a South Pacific Sanctuary is needed or will contribute anything to the conservation of whales is unforgivable, particularly when the only politicians will benefit,” said Lapointe.
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