Show Date: June 21, 2006 
Pam Eastlick for THE DEEP on line

Whaling Ups and Downs

Welcome to The Deep science and technology column where we cover topics from the deep sea to deep space and beyond. Join us each week on Newstalk K57 on Wednesday night from 7 to 8 p.m. for exciting live science expeditions or listen live on our web site www.thedeepradioshow.com

The whaling controversy continues. On Sunday, at this year’s meeting of the International Whaling Commission in the Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, its members voted 33 to 32 in favor of a resolution that declares, "The moratorium, which was clearly intended as a temporary measure, is no longer necessary." Although many have viewed this resolution as a blow to those opposed to whaling, the good news is that to reverse the ban imposed in 1986, another vote supported by 75 percent of the 70 IWC members (53 votes) would be required

As I stated in last week’s article, I have been at a loss to explain why the Japanese government is so pro-whaling and I may have discovered the answer. A statement made by one of the pro-whaling delegates implies that whales are the reason that worldwide fish stocks are plunging. "We're dealing with an ecosystem where whales are on top of the food chain," said Daven Joseph, an IWC delegate from St. Kitts and Nevis. "That's like blaming woodpeckers for deforestation," countered Vassili Papastavrou, a whale biologist for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "The real issue is overfishing, not whales."

Interestingly enough, virtually all large whales (with the exception of sperm whales, which eat fish) are, in fact, at the bottom of the food chain and feed mainly on plankton and krill, the smallest oceanic plants and animals. Who are these people trying to kid? So, why should humans protect whales? We are, after all, meat eaters. Why don’t we rally to protect pigs or cows, chickens or fish? Well, a lot of it has to do with the undisputed intelligence of these ocean-going cetaceans.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that they don’t constitute menu items for very many people so it’s easier to be against their slaughter than it is say, the average cow. But there’s no question that the almighty yen is behind a lot of the controversy. “Follow the money” worked for Deep Throat and it works here as well.

We don’t know what the ultimate outcome will be for this year’s IWC meeting since it ends on Tuesday 20 June, but we will be talking about this issue this week on The Deep. Our host, Jim Sullivan, recently visited the Japanese embassy and had a very enlightening chat with the people there. He’ll tell you all about it and the interesting things that were said to him. We hope to have New Zealand’s Conservation Minister Chris Carter, on this week’s show. He’s one of the leading anti-whaling delegates to the IWC and we’ve talked to him on The Deep several times. He may be able to call us from the meeting. We’ll also be talking to local fishermen about their battle with longliners who are depleting local fish stocks. And these people aren’t blaming the whales!

The Deep is broadcast on Newstalk K57 every Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. You can also listen live from our web site www.thedeepradioshow.com. Join Jim Sullivan, Pam Eastlick, and Peter Melyan on the deepest radio show on Earth.