International Whaling Commission meeting ends in disarray

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Portugal has ended in disarray over the current impasse between pro-whaling and anti-whaling countries. [guardian.co.uk] Fortunately there is some good news on the commercial whaling front. The ban on commercial whaling remains in place for at least another 12 months, and Norway has suspended its annual whale hunt mid-season due to lack of demand [LATimes].     Norway has formally objected to the commercial whaling moratorium declared by the IWC and continues hunt Minke whales. Greenpeace has more on Norwegian Whaling

Norway is not the only country to continue whaling. There are Aboriginal exceptions to the ban for subsistence fishing by native populations including those in Canada, Russia and Alaska. Additionally, Iceland, while not objecting to the ban, has alternately classified its whaling as scientific research (another exception to the ban) or cited economic hardship to justify its commercial whaling efforts. While the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), prohibits the trade of whale meat, Iceland has, in recent years, exported to both Japan and the Faroe Islands. [BBC]  [Japan Times]
Greenpeace has more on Icelandic Whaling

Japan too, has continued to operate an annual whale hunt under the guise of scientific research.The year after agreeing to the IWC moratorium, they embarked on a scientific research mission that

took the same species of whale they had caught the year before and returned them to Japan boxed in 15kg cardboard cartons, ready for sale. [Greenpeace]

The Japan Whaling Association provides a Q&A page defending their position. This hunt has recently gained public attention due to the American documentary television series "Whale Wars" which highlights the ant-whaling activities of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. They harass the Japanese whalers by ramming their boats and hurling chemical stink bombs onto the decks of the processing ship. In response to the Japanese government's classification of Sea Shepherd's actions as high-seas piracy, Captain Paul Watson, the group's leader has responded:

"This is a research project. We’ve decided to demonstrate our solidarity with the Japanese, Australian, and New Zealand Research projects. Our primary objective is to research non-lethal means for defending whales. Of course this may include research into Japanese ship’s hull plate thickness, vessel stress tests, and paint chip analysis, as well as observation of whaler behavior in response to olfactory stimulation."

And finally, Science & the Public, Janet Raloff's blog at ScienceNews covers the IWC meeting with two posts of note:

Jean-Michel Cousteau finds “hypocrisy” in scientific whaling

Jean-Michel Cousteau has traveled the world chronicling life under the sea, including whales — first with his father Jacques, now as a explorer-videographer and president of the Ocean Futures Society. This morning, he took issue with the idea that Japan and other countries are conducting legitimate research when they kill whales in the name of science.

and
Of 'science' and fetal whaling

More than one-quarter of the 679 whales taken from Antarctic waters by Japanese research crews, during the past seven months, were pregnant, according to a report released Monday at the International Whaling Commission meeting, in Madeira, Portugal.