The 2009 meeting of the International Whaling Commission has begun in Madeira, Portugal. Once again, participants are looking to construct a compromise between those who wish to hunt whales and those who think want to stop that sort of thing.

Earlier this year a key sub-committee of the IWC failed to agree a compromise between pro-whaling nations such as Japan and their opponents, chiefly Australia. This would have seen Japan resuming coastal whaling of its coasts but giving up its annual Antarctic hunt.

Now Japan has again indicated that it might be willing to put similar offers on the table (see meeting agenda, page 9).

UK environment minister Huw Irranca-Davies told the BBC this was not going to be uncontroversial.

“We do have concerns over Japan’s proposal for coastal whaling,” says Irranca-Davies. We see this as the thin end of the wedge in regard of what Japan’s intention may be, but also what it could potentially open up for other countries, notably South Korea.”

The minister is referring to South Korea’s previous suggestions that it would consider coastal whaling if Japan got the nod.

Conservation groups are also already protesting against Japanese coastal whaling.

The most likely outcome seems to be another deadlocked meeting (although I hope to stand corrected on this, if only so I can write about something other than deadlocks at the IWC).

“It appears that the approach that was taken by the commissioner Bill Hogarth over the last 18 months or so to try and reach some consensus view on issues of whaling, and particularly scientific whaling, has not proceeded successfully,” says Peter Harrison, of the Whale Research Centre at Southern Cross University (ABC). “Therefore, this next meeting of the IWC due to start today in Madeira, Portugal, is likely to fall back to the pro-whaling and pro-conservation bloc votes.”

ABC also notes that European nations may catch more whales than Japan this year.

Image: NOAA National Marin