International Whaling Commission turns back bid to revive commercial whaling
A resolution backed by Antigua and Barbuda was withdrawn on the meeting's last day, but a proposed South Atlantic whale sanctuary failed again.
A push to reopen the door to commercial whaling failed at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) after a resolution led by Antigua and Barbuda was withdrawn on the final day of the body's meeting in Hobart, Tasmania.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Palau, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and Togo, called for talks on the "sustainable use of whale resources" and laid out a path toward resuming commercial hunts. Its withdrawal leaves the IWC's 40-year-old moratorium on commercial whaling intact. About 400 delegates from all 89 member governments attended the meeting, held Sept. 27 to Oct. 2.
Experts credit the moratorium with helping many whale species recover, though a 2023 study found that 26% of 92 assessed cetacean species, the group that includes whales, dolphins and porpoises, are threatened with extinction. Norway, Iceland and Japan still allow commercial whaling.
A bid to create a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary covering about 21 million square kilometers (8.1 million square miles) failed again, falling short of the three-quarters majority it needed. Türkiye, the commission's newest member, abstained along with Iceland.
"The majority of countries stood strong in support of defending the ban on commercial whaling," said Fabienne McLellan, chief executive of the Swiss nonprofit OceanCare. Observers also criticized the commission for sidelining climate change.
This brief is based on reporting by Elizabeth Claire Alberts, published Oct. 7, 2026, in Mongabay. Read the original: https://news.mongabay.com/2026/10/international-whaling-commission-rejects-push-to-revive-commercial-whaling/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
