Opening Statement for the 55th IWC from IKAN

IWC/55/OS DWAN

Dolphin and Whale Action Network (IKAN) Opening Statement

IKAN is a dolphin and whale conservation group working mainly within Japan. As an island country, Japan has been nourished by the wealth of the surrounding waters for hundreds of years. The ocean, although sometimes referred to as the 'food factory' by the fishing industry, is not only providing us food, but also maintaining our moderate climate and the rich biomes.

However, to the generation that was disparately devoted to the nation's economical reconstruction after World War II, the natural resources, including marine organisms, only meant more exploitation for human proliferation. As a result, developments swept through both over land and ocean, tagging along with it environmental degradations and over-exploitations.

Things did not end here. The old generation, with its priority still on the economical development, is actively promoting exploitation ofnatural resources overseas. In order to justify such business, as out of touch the strategy is*, much of the taxpayers money has been put into the "investment" of lesser developed nations' fishing industry and subsequent vote -buying from these countries.

On the positive note, this does not represent Japan as a whole. There are more and more people starting to act for the preservation of the natural resources. We believe that it is important to reflect such new perspective towards the environment, and promote a living style that is more responsible to the natural world, preserving it for future generations.

IKAN looks forward to the potential future work of a whale conservation committee some of the environmentally conscious countries are trying to establish within the commission. The IWC was originally intended for the management of whale species, but it is also natural that the objective the commission shifts as the time progresses, and moreover, it is the best place to discuss the future of the whales. We are honored to be here in whale conservation inclined Germany, and we are looking forward to the lively and positive discussions that will to take place.