A2 - Wednesday, August 12, 1981 - North Shore News

strictly personal

by Bob Hunter

The strange thing about the revolution that

occurred at

this year’s meeting of the In-

ternational Whaling Commission in Brighton,
England, is that the Canadian media missed the

story entirely.

Maybe it isn't strange. The
fact that Canada pulled out
of the [WC on the eve of the
historic gathering means in
the eyes of a lot of editors
that whaling isn’t a
“Canadian issue” any longer.

Well, for the benefit of all
those people whom I know
for sure are as interested as
ever in the fate of the world’s
whales, I have exceedingly
good news.

The whales are saved!

I wouldn't say this lightly.
And I don’t mean _ that
whales aren't still being
killed. I mean, with the total
ban on the killing of sperm
whales, the back of com-

mercial whaling has been
broken.

The IWC this year passed,
by an incredible margin of 25
to 1, a resolution calling for
an indefinite ban on the
killing of sperm whales, by
any method, by any people,
in any ocean on earth. ~

I was there as an observer
through the entire week-long
meeting in Brighton. It was,
without any doubt at all, the
most amazing meeting of the
IWC ever to occur.

Until now, you see, the
IWC has been the equivalent
of an international industrial
cartel. That is, it was set up

whale of a win

33 years ago as a tool for
management of the whaling
industry.

Until this year, its main
function was always to
“harvest” whales.

But this year, something
changed. The IWC was
joined, in a_ series of
dramatic last-momeanat
moves, by no less than
eleven new countmes.

They were: China, Costa
Rica, Dominica, India,
Jamaica, Oman, Saint Lucia,
St. Vincent, Seychelles,
Switzerland and Uruguay.

What difference did this
make? Well, all the dif-
ference in the world.

The delegate from the tiny
Canbbean island nation of
Saint Lucia stated = it
categorically:

“We consider the oceans
and all their flora, fauna and

Heliport plan grounded

Plans to locate a heliport
at Harbour View Park near
the mouth of Lynn Creek
were grounded Monday
night after six months of
“waffling” by North Van-
couver District Council.

its an “incredible thing”
that months after a
delegation from North Shore

Hehcopters Ltd. first ap
peared at council in
February. we're “floun-

demng around in August,”
said Alderman John Lakes
Calling upon council to

“take some initiative” in
finding possible sites, Lakes
said council had = been

dealing with heliport sub
missions in a “negative way”

by ros indeciston

The search by staff has
started, said Mayor Don
Bell

“Pm dead apainst at
(Harbour View) | said
Alderman Crordon Rose

Let applicants buy some

tndustoal land

for their

heliports sand Alderman

Peter Powell
Although not opposed to

the heltport itself Alderman

curltruany

er ellene ¢

syle mys e

pay Fh SOs

WW st de oun.

Ernie Crist said he objected
to locaung a_ helicopter
landing and servicing facility
in residential or park areas.
Consideration of locating

the heliport in the
Maplewood area was
delayed pending council's

review of a community plan
for the area.

Council also heard from
forest giant MacMillan
Bloedel. A letter dated June
4 from Doug Hare, Mac
Blo’s chef helicopter pilot.
informed counci that semor
executives had requested
“helhcopter service to and
from the North Shore”.

If Mac-Blo wants one,
“they can afford one,” said
Alderman Jim Ball. “I can't
imagine us just giving it
(land) away”.

Meantime, Bell advised a
representative from North
Shore Helicopters present at
council to change its request
if iw wants further
sideration.

Hehports require a lot of
space, said one aldermen
The 25) foot helicopter
landing “pads” alone require
some 250 feet, he = said
North Shore hehcopters is
proposing a full landing and
servicing facility.

con-

Mr. Mileage Maker!

Bill Docksteader
makes best in-town
deals on

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resources as
common

mineral
mankind's
inheritance.”

Suddenly, the whales were
being claimed by the so
called Third World as
something that belongs to
everyone, not just the
handful of industnalized
nations who have the
necessary technology for
chasing and killing them.

Ironically, the sperm
whale is used as the symbol
of both conservationists and
IWC member countries
alike. The IWC’s literature 1s
adorned with a silhouetted
blue sperm. As many of you
will know, the sperm
possesses the largest brain
on earth.

For the killing of the
sperm itself to be halted is of
tremendous value both
symbolically and practically,
because the truth is, there
are no adult sperms left.
Only teenage whales at the
most.

It was the image of the
mighty sperm — the species
out of which the legend of
Moby Dick was fashioned —
that flew during the last

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decade over almost every
ecology festival or protest.

There will be many people
who will not be able to
accept this because they are
too heavily programmed in
the direction of failure, but
the truth is, the tide has
turned.

We won!

Go dance in the streets.
The war to prevent the
destruction of our = en-
vironment is so far from over
that it is enough to make me
cry. But we did win a battle.

The balance of power at
the IWC has been carefully
ngged in favour of the

whaling industry. This year,
that balance of power shifted

Finest & Largest

decisively in favour of the
whales. For the first time,
the whaling nation bloc
collapsed, and the “con-
servation countries,” as they
were being called, closed in.

Japan — the main culprit
— was given a face-savi
“out.” The ban on sperm:
was called a “zero quota”
instead of a moratorium, and
the pretence of another
mecting next spring to set a
possible quota for sperms in
the western Pacific was
passed. But the numbers had
shifted permanently, and
Japan doesn’t have a chance
of getting the “zero quota”
changed.

Good news? Damned

nght! And you read it here
first.

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