NewsWhore
06-19-2006, 03:10 PM
The Dominican Republic came close to losing its humpback whale sanctuary if the International Whaling Commission had voted to allow whale hunting in Caribbean waters. The whaling initiative is being pushed by Japan, Iceland and Norway. Unfortunately, according to El Caribe, the Dominican Environment Ministry does not even have an observer at the IWC's 58th Meeting. El Caribe said that the Ministry of Foreign Relations sent a delegate but the Dominican position had not been revealed to the press. Mexico and Panama have voted against the measure. If approved, the measure would have meant that Samana would lose as much as US$8 million in tourist income. Today's Diario Libre reports that by a one-vote margin, 33-32 with one abstention, the IWC voted to support a renewal of commercial fishing for whales. The 75% vote needed to repeal the prohibition on whale hunting was not achieved. The approved resolution said that the prohibition was a temporary measure since it was no longer needed.
Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#15)
Link To Original Article (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#15)