International legal options can save the whales

Existing international law can be upheld at the International Court of Justice to save the whales where diplomatic efforts have failed, the Green Party said today.

“The International Whaling Commission must be respected for its attempts to bravely explore how far the diplomatic process would work. However, it has been clear since the proposal to legitimise commercial whaling of endangered species was released, that diplomacy alone was not going to save the whales,” said Green Party oceans spokesperson Gareth Hughes.

“The whale’s greatest defences in international law – our Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and the Moratorium on Commercial Whaling – are both achievements of the Whaling Commission and both remain strong in the wake of the negotiation collapse today.

“Over the last two months, the Green Party has been overwhelmed by support from the New Zealand public who want us to be staunch in our protection of whales and stand by our traditional allies, the Australians, who are taking a case to the International Court of Justice. Now is John Key’s chance to do just that.

“International legal action could achieve an injunction on whaling in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary by the next season of slaughter. This would put the whale wars at rest and create a less heated environment for negotiation than what was achieved in Agadir.

“It’s time to give the activists a summer off and let the lawyers have a go,” Mr Hughes said.