Palmer urges compromise on whaling debate

File photo / Mark Mitchell

Sir Geoffrey Palmer has drawn the ire of anti-whaling conservationists by taking the stance that some whales may need to be killed in order to save others.

Sir Palmer, who is New Zealand's delegate to the International Whaling Commission, told Q+A this morning compromise with whaling nations was necessary, and a certain number of whales could be sacrificed for the greater good.

"We don't want any whaling in the Southern Ocean, we don't want any commercial whaling but we have no way of enforcing our will."

However, he said the cap on whaling would have to decrease and New Zealand would not agree to any new arrangement that did not involve a significant reduction in the number of whales killed.

He went on to say any new deal was likely to save "several thousand whales" over a period of 10 years.

A final plan will be presented at the IWC annual meeting in June.

But Greenpeace spokesman Karli Thomas told 3 News: "If these countries go back to their populations and say, 'We've had our whaling programmes legitimised, the international community has agreed to them', we end up in a much worse situation than what we are in now."

After 24 years of a moratorium, the number of whales killed by Japan, Iceland and Norway is on the rise.

Approximately 1,600 whales are killed each year.

Sir Palmer said the only alternative to diplomatic negotiation was taking the case to the International Court of Justice.

However, there was no certainty of winning and Japan's position would only be strengthened in the case of a loss.

- NZHERALD STAFF