Is anyone else here sick of hearing about how Australia is opposed to the Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean? If you are opposed to it then do something about it! Why is it that volunteers from organizations like Sea Shepherd are doing all the grunt work? Well finally it seems some action may be taken.

The latest news is that the Aussie government is calling for a 5 year phase out of whaling in the Antarctic Ocean and the end of  so-called scientific whaling within a “reasonable period”. This apparently reflects Australia’s strong conservation agenda. The term a “reasonable period” has me worried. I imagine the whalers could kill a lot of whales in “a reasonable period”, whatever that may be.

If the Japanese don’t agree to this then Australia will start legal action against Japan in the International Court of Justice before the next whaling season in the Southern Ocean.

Now don’t get me wrong, it is great that some action is being taken. If the proposal does go ahead it will mean, “no new whaling would be permitted on species or populations not currently hunted, hunting for vulnerable species would immediately end and no harpooning would be permitted in sanctuaries.”

This would be a fantastic advancement and would put pressure on Japan to end whaling altogether. However, they will not go down without a fight. Japan will seek to prove that what they are doing is legal, through a loophole that allows whaling for science (no one is fooled Japan).

I just hope the Australian government follows through with it’s word to take legal action. They have given Japan until November to agree to the proposal. I just can’t help but think that the Japanese government will wriggle out of this somehow. Plus if they do agree to the proposal that will still mean a lot of whales killed in the next 5 years.

I say that Canberra need to get even tougher on whaling and fast! Hopefully this new hardened stance on whaling is a sign of good things to come.