Whale sanctuary goal in reach

New Zealand is forging a coalition of South Pacific nations committed to banning whaling in their waters after repeatedly being frustrated in its attempts to set up an internationally recognized whale sanctuary in the area.

New Zealand is working on the ‘‘nation-state’’ strategy for protecting whales, after accepting it is unlikely to win enough support at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for creating a South Pacific sanctuary, conservation minister Sandra Lee said today.

‘‘By working together, the small Pacific Island nations can achieve our shared goal of a whale sanctuary, despite the opposition of the whalers,’’ she said.

A joint Australia/New Zealand proposal for a South Pacific-wide whale protection sanctuary failed to win the necessary 75% support at the last two IWC annual meetings.

The issue will be considered again next May at the commission’s annual meeting in Shimonoseki - home port for Japan’s whaling fleet.

‘‘We should not be too optimistic about achieving a three-quarters majority vote there,’’ she cautioned.

‘‘The idea of any new sanctuaries for whales ... is anathema to Japan and Norway, and they have bitterly opposed our proposal at the last two annual meetings of the IWC, and will do so again next year.

‘‘It is no secret that there is a bloc of developing countries, many of whom have recently joined the IWC, who vote down the line with whalers.’’

Japan has been accused of buying up the smaller nations’ votes in return for development aid.

Under New Zealand’s alternative strategy, South Pacific nations would declare their territorial waters as sanctuaries for the sea mammals.

The Cook Islands north of New Zealand has just declared its exclusive economic zone, which covers 770,000 square miles - the size of western Europe - to be a whale sanctuary.

French Polynesia, with an economic zone of twice that area, is preparing legislation to follow suit, Ms Lee said.

‘‘Whales are already fully protected in Tonga, New Zealand and Australia and we are continuing to encourage our Pacific Island neighbours, such as New Caledonia and Niue, to consider similar moves,’’ she added.