Washington, D.C. - Congressman Howard L. Berman (CA-28), Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, made the following statement at a hearing on U.S. leadership at the International Whaling Commission (IWC). You can read the transcript below or watch the full hearing here. (Chairman Berman's statement begins at 40:48.)


Chairman Howard L. Berman (CA-28) statement on international whaling at House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing:

Thank you Chairmen Carnahan and Faleomavaega for recognizing me to make brief remarks about ending the intolerable practice of commercial whaling. I also ask for unanimous consent to insert into the record a letter from the California Coastal Commission to President Obama on the U.S. position at the International Whaling Commission.

This hearing comes at a crucial time as members of the International Whaling Commission, or IWC, prepare to meet next month in Morocco.

Despite a ban on commercial whaling that has been in place for almost a quarter of a century, Japan, Norway, and Iceland continue to kill significant numbers of whales every year. Japan and Iceland conduct their whaling through a loophole in the moratorium for scientific research while Norway objected to the ban and therefore does not recognize it.

I agree with those who say that the IWC is broken -- when countries have been permitted to kill whales without limit.

Since the ban was implemented in 1986, over 12,000 whales have been killed under the scientific exemption. I believe strongly that the scientific loophole should be closed and that the United States should encourage Norway to respect the moratorium.

Regrettably, a recently released proposal that reflects the work of the United States and other members of the IWC fails to close this loophole or stop Norway’s hunts. Instead, it places a cap on the number of whales killed per year.

I have several concerns about this proposal. First, I am very reluctant to legitimize the actions of whaling countries in any case.

Furthermore, questions have been raised on whether this proposal would significantly decrease the number of killings.

As nations prepare for meetings in Morocco, the United States should build upon the positive achievements made in conservation since the moratorium’s enactment and once and for all put an end to commercial whaling.