Whales lose, Japan wins as whaling meet ends - Reuters

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Whales lose, Japan wins as whaling meet ends
Fri Jun 27, 2008 11:47am EDT

By Simon Gardner

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Whales emerged the big losers as a
weeklong International Whaling Commission meeting wrapped
up in Chile on Friday, said conservation groups, dismayed
that anti-whaling nations were unable to halt No.1 hunter
Japan.

Anti-whale hunting nations spearheaded by Australia voiced
deep concern at Japan's skirting of a 1986 moratorium on
commercial whaling by hunting hundreds of whales each year
in the name of scientific research.

-snip-

But the deliberate nonconfrontational tack, with nations
urged not to vote against each other on contentious issues
like Japanese whaling or calls for a South Atlantic whale
sanctuary, meant little was achieved at the meeting.

-snip-

"Japan goes home without any votes or resolutions against
it. Iceland started a new round of commercial whaling just
prior to this conference. So they are not taking it very
seriously. Nothing has been achieved for the whales,"
Sonntag said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSN2743745820080627