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Natural Awakenings National

Whale Watching: One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Whales

Greenpeace Executive Director Philip Radford reports that the discredited practice of vote buying at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has been ended. “Countries like Japan can no longer bribe poorer countries to support their pro-whaling stance. This means that whale conservation finally has a fighting chance.”

The U.S. delegation supported a measure intended to increase transparency in membership fees after hearing from millions of whale lovers. Initiated by the United Kingdom and backed by a number of countries, the proposal passed via a rare consensus among the 89 participating countries.

It is believed that payment of membership dues in cash allowed wealthy countries to purchase the votes of other nations. Dues for the commission must now be paid via bank transfer from government accounts.

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