Greenland allowed to hunt humpback whales

Jun 25, 2010, 23:33 GMT

Agadir, Morocco - Greenland may hunt humpback whales, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) decided Friday as the 88 IWC countries were wrapping up their five-day annual meeting in the Moroccan resort of Agadir.

There was a general consensus on the subject, which was not submitted to a vote, delegates said.

Until now, Greenland had only been allowed to hunt minke whales, fin whales and bowhead whales as part of its indigenous catch allowance.

The 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling does not concern subsistence whaling by some indigenous communities.

The whaling by Greenland is, however, controversial, because some environmentalist groups say the meat is sold for commercial rather than subsistence purposes.

Earlier this week, talks on a proposal to ease the 1986 moratorium collapsed at the meeting, meaning that the proposal will be tabled again in about a year's time.

The measure would have aimed at bringing whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland under control.

The three circumvent the 1986 whaling ban, killing up to 2,000 whales annually. Japan claims to hunt for scientific purposes while Norway and Iceland claim controversial special rights.