But while a minority insists that science is on their side, the IWC will remain dangerously split - if it survives at all. The IWC secretary, Dr Ray Gambell, has said he thinks the Commission will lose all credibility if it does not end the moratorium on commercial whaling it introduced in 1986. Japan and its pro-whaling allies popped the champagne corks Tuesday after sinking a proposal to create a Pacific whale sanctuary. Two nations were absent from the room at the crunch while six members had failed to pay their annual fees and did not turn up. The decision is seen as a major victory for Japan, which headed the push against the world's third whale sanctuary, and culminates a fierce batte of wits and verbal jibes.
Whale watchers are thrilled to spot a minke whale.
Tokyo, backed by Norway, based its arguement on the proposal being scientifically dubious and redundant as long as a moratorium remained on commercial whaling. And it clearly won the lobbying battle, persuading Denmark to join Norway, China, new member Guinea and six Caribbean nations in opposing the plan. Japan's Far Seas Fisheries Division deputy director Joji Morishita though was conciliatory rather than jubilant, aware that the proposal would be resubmitted to the IWC talks in London next year. Japanese representatives to IWC, 1998. Australia and New Zealand, with strong support from Britain and the United States, based their case on the economic benefits that would flow from whale watching rather than whale killing.