St. John's, Antigua -- May 2, 2007 -- Antigua and Barbuda as a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) since 1982 supports the Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) with a mandate to “provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry” (quoted from the Preamble to the Convention).

The IWC is therefore about managing whaling to ensure that whale stocks are not over-harvested rather than protecting all whales irrespective of their abundance.

In this regard,  Antigua and Barbuda's participation at the IWC has always been guided by our principled support for the sustainable utilization of our vast and rich marine resources in a manner and at a rate that will ensure that these resources are available for generations to come. It is a matter of food security and the preservation of our right as a sovereign nation to build international alliances.

As a small island state vulnerable to natural disasters and changing social and cultural values due to constant exposure to international media our position at IWC is also based on respect for cultural diversity and traditions of coastal peoples as well as coastal state rights, relevant national and international law, the need for science-based management and consideration of ecosystem approaches all of which are the accepted global standards. The IWC Scientific Committee has one of the most rigorously tested way to estimate safe catch levels for any marine species through what is called the Revised Management Procedure (RMP) for commercial whaling. According to this procedure catch-limits would not be set by species but by populations and only for five-year periods before being reviewed. The procedure has strict minimum data requirements and takes scientific uncertainty into account.

Presently a similar process is used for Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling called the Aboriginal Whaling Management Procedure (AWMP). Currently, the RMP is not being used. Although the IWC has agreed that it provides safe catch limits, it has not agreed on a set of rules to allow it to be used. Therefore Antigua and Barbuda\'s position at the IWC is also based on the ongoing scientific evidence and systems available that will not allow whaling to go back to the \'olds days\' of indiscriminate catching of these marine mammals.

Antigua and Barbuda understand the views of those countries and anti-whaling organisations who for many years have not supported our position within the IWC and humbly request that they respect our position as an independent nation striving to build international alliances geared towards peace, poverty alleviation and national economic development.

Ambassador Anthony Liverpool, Antigua and Barbuda\'s IWC Commissioner, and current chair of the IWC Finance and Administrative Committee will participate in the 59th Annual and Associated meetings of the Commission in Anchorage Alaska from May 7 to 31, 2007. Other members of the delegation will include Honourable Senator Joanne Massiah, Minister responsible for Marine Resources and Agro Industries and Fisheries Officer, Ms. Tricia Lovell, who will be attending the Scientific Committee meeting from May 7 to May 18.

Important issues up for discussion will include Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling, the IWC in the future, Socio-Economic Implications and Small type Whaling and Scientific Permits.

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established by the 1946 International and has the management authority only for the 13 species of large whales including the humpback whale harvested by the people of Bequia.

In 1982 the IWC adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling. Since that time, it has attempted to expand its jurisdiction to other smaller whales including the blackfish which is harvested in a number of Caribbean countries and to other subjects that are not within the scope of the ICRW.

Current membership in the IWC (73 countries) includes 6 Eastern Caribbean countries; Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as Belize and Surinam.

Source: ab.gov.ag