Australia was still commercially hunting whales in 1978. Almost half a century later, it hosted international negotiations on their future, with ORCA’s expertise represented on the UK delegation.
Commercial whaling can feel like something belonging to a distant past. Yet Australia’s last whaling station closed in 1978, well within living memory. For many people reading this, whales were still being hunted there during their childhood.
That history gave particular significance to the recent International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Hobart, Tasmania. A country that once hunted whales was hosting governments debating how to protect them. It is a reminder that attitudes can change, and that conservation can help bring about extraordinary shifts.
Our Director of Programmes and Deputy Director, Lucy Babey, attended as part of the UK delegation. For a small UK charity, being invited to contribute expertise to the national team is a significant recognition of the knowledge and experience we have built. Everyone who supports our work has reason to feel proud of that.
IWC70 marked two anniversaries: 80 years since the signing of the convention that established the Commission, and 40 years since the commercial whaling moratorium came into effect. The moratorium has given depleted whale populations a chance to recover. But even after four decades, it still needs defending.
A proposal from Antigua and Barbuda could have opened the way to weakening and ultimately lifting it. Following considerable debate, the proposal was withdrawn on the final day when sufficient support failed to materialise. Further attempts to initiate a scientific review of the moratorium met firm opposition from countries including the UK, New Zealand and Mexico.
There was progress on other threats. Governments adopted resolutions addressing vessel strikes, cetacean strandings and the impact of the fish maw trade on threatened species such as the vaquita.
For us, the vessel strikes resolution has particular relevance. Calls for safer shipping routes, speed reductions and closer cooperation with the maritime sector connect directly with our work alongside shipping operators. International commitments need to translate into practical protection at sea.
The meeting also endorsed the Scientific and Conservation Committees’ work on threats including bycatch, plastic pollution and underwater noise. This reflects the breadth of expertise now brought together through the IWC.
Yet the proposed South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary again failed to secure the required three quarters majority. After nearly three decades of campaigning by countries in the region, this protection remains frustratingly out of reach. Brazil has committed to bringing the proposal back.
Even the anniversary Hobart Declaration required extensive negotiation. Agreement was welcome, although references to food security raised concerns about how its wording might support future arguments for whaling.
Australia’s own history offers a reason to persist. Within living memory, a whaling nation became an advocate for whale protection. Change is possible, even when negotiations make it feel painfully slow.
Our place on the UK delegation brings the expertise of a small charity into those discussions. It connects the work our volunteers and partners make possible at sea with decisions that will shape the future of whales and dolphins around the world.
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