David @ Tokyo

IWC 57 is well under way in Korea. Initial votes have gone against the pro-sustainable use camp, as usual.

The IWMC as they did last year is releasing very good editorials each day:
http://www.iwmc.org/whales/iwc57/index.htm

The key theme from the IWMC this year is how much longer can the IWC last while nations such as Australia and New Zealand are determined to subvert the IWC from it's original purpose. Well worth a read.

Chris Carter is again showing just how moronic and scientifically & logically illiterate he is:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3320871a12,00.html

"those 2000 humpbacks will soon disappear if 20 a year are taken, Mr Carter said."

Mr Carter fails to recognise that humpbacks, like other mammals and lifeforms are capable of "reproduction". 20 humpbacks is but 1% of the just the population of humpbacks he claims is migrating past the New Zealand coastline (2000), and as I've posted commentary on before, the humpback population is regarded by even anti-whaling scientists as expanding at a rate of 10% a year.

It's going to take a long time for humpback numbers off the New Zealand coast to disappear while the population is growing at around 9% a year... (did you spot my sarcasm?)

It's not just those humpbacks the Japanese plan to take either - it's not like they'll pick on only the whales going past New Zealand. Maybe Chris doesn't "get" that, either.

Mr Carter is either terribly under qualified to represent New Zealand at the IWC, or is simply a liar.

Judging from the latest opinion polls though, it looks like his crappy Labour party could be kicked out of office when H1 Clark finally calls the election. It's time to put this sod out of his misery. He'll go down as a big blip in IWC history, right after Sandra "whaling is despicable" Lee of the now dead Alliance party. Mind you, the National party is likely to put up an equally illiterate IWC Commissioner.