KEY POINTS:
A "breakthrough" agreement to get countries usually at odds with one another to sort out their conflicting views on whaling has been welcomed, but is also considered overdue.
The International Whaling Commission, meeting in Chile, has set up a working group of 24 countries, including New Zealand and Japan, to work through issues that divide its 81 members.
Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick said from Santiago yesterday the decision to set up the working group was a "major breakthrough".
"For the first time in 20 years we have agreed to a concrete process to talk about the substantive issues that divide us."
The working group, which meets for the first time today, eventually hopes to examine and resolve 33 issues including scientific whaling, animal welfare and sanctuaries.
Ms Chadwick said the breakthrough included procedural changes, with the IWC agreeing to change the rules of engagement under which meetings operate.
Chris Howe, WWF-New Zealand's conservation director, said the developments should be welcomed because in the past 20 years the IWC had become ineffective, due to countries on both sides lobbying others to join the commission to stack the numbers.
"There has been a constant war of recruitment."
Mr Howe said the commission failed to reach required 75 per cent majorities. He noted that 30,000 whales had been killed since the commission imposed a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986.
"You can't say it's been a huge success ... The IWC basically doesn't really work."
The major loophole was the ability of countries like Japan to issue themselves permits for scientific whaling. That allowed Japan to kill as many whales as it liked, where it liked, including the Southern Oceans whale sanctuary, he said.
"It is unregulated and uncontrolled ... Japan has killed more than double its usual catch in the last couple of years."
Mr Howe said while WWF and New Zealand remained opposed to commercial whaling, a compromise might have to be reached with Japan to allow for a coastal quota if scientific whaling was stopped.
Andrew Bignall, of the Department of Conservation, said one of the sticking points was animal welfare, with vigorous debate about how whales were killed in the open sea. Another disputed area was the effort to declare parts of the world's oceans as sanctuaries where whales could live undisturbed by lethal hunting.
There had also been arguments that the non-lethal use of whales, by the likes of whale watch firms, was a more appropriate activity to follow rather than whale killing for whatever purpose.
Mr Bignall said negotiations over a revised management scheme and procedure to regulate commercial whaling were it to resume were not resolved so remained incomplete.
WHALE WATCH
* The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in 1946.
* The purpose of the convention is to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.
* The main duty of the IWC is to review and revise measures which govern the conduct of whaling throughout the world.
* An important feature is the emphasis on a basis of scientific findings, with a scientific committee comprised of up to 200 of the world's leading whale biologists.
* Key issues: Animal welfare; bycatch; coastal whaling; commercial whaling moratorium; compliance and monitoring; ocean governance; marine protected areas; sanctions; sanctuaries; whalewatching.
