Contrast this with the link from the article:

http://www.scu.edu.au/research/whales/aboutCBRP.html
“In the Southern Hemisphere, humpback whale populations have been divided into six independent stocks or groups based on feeding aggregations observed by commercial whalers in the Southern Ocean prior to 1963. The whales that are observed migrating along the east Australian coast annually from their Antarctic feeding area, to breeding and calving grounds within the Great Barrier Reef lagoon are known as Group V whales. Prior to commercial whaling, this stock was thought to comprise of between 15,000 and 20,000 individuals.”

This is also the recognised knowledge that the whalers are basing their plans on - they are looking to target Group V whales (as well as Group IV whales that migrate up the west coast - which are also rapidly increasing) in their research programmes.

Until Adrian’s talk about more distinct populations of humpbacks in the South Pacific gets international recognition (say by the IWC’s Scientific Committee), I believe that these arguments aren’t likely to sway the whalers.

Indeed, the arguments will come across to the whalers as just another excuse from the “whale-huggers” who basically oppose whaling on non-scientific grounds, but try to make up scientific grounds for their opposition (why not just say we don’t like killing whales and be done with it? I don’t know).

It’s really important for researchers to further their efforts to confirm whether there actually are truely distinct stocks of humpbacks in the western South Pacific. The science needs to be convincing. If the hypothesis is true, then it’s important for conservation of these populations.

At the same time, like it or not, the whalers are legitimately taking small numbers of whales in accordance with Article VIII of the ICRW to which Australia is a signatory - it is not realistic to expect them to shelve their plans based on ideas that have not been globally recognised by the IWC, which has the ICRW at it’s foundation.

Alas, even if the researchers can convince the IWC Scientific Committee that their hypothesis is true, what argument can Australian’s make to prevent hunting of the abundant Group IV (D) stock?
The IWC Scientific Committee notes a recent estimate of more than 17,000 humpbacks for the D stock (see page 10 of this doc):
http://www.iwcoffice.org/_documents/sci_com/SCRepFiles2006/Annex%20H%20%5BFINAL%5Dsq.pdf

Incidently, an estimate for the Group V (E) stock which Adrian is talking about was more than 13,000.
The whaling research programmes will take 25 whales from each area. For the Group V stock, that’s a mere 0.2%, whereas the stock has been recognised as growing at rates of around 10% each year. Until hypotheses about distinct breeding stocks in the south pacific are accepted, these whales are likely to be the target of research whaling with a view to eventual commercial whaling.

Either way, it seems that whaling is going to occur. Perhaps instead of allowing Japan to set quotas via it’s scientific research programmes, Australia should be compromising to at least ensure that catches are set in line with advice directly from the IWC Scientific Committee.

This is the best approach in whale conservation terms, although of course many Australians wish to see all whales protected, rather than just conserved through limited hunts.

Ultimately, Australians need to start asking themselves which is more important:
Whale conservation, or stubbornly clinging to an ideal of whale protection (which may result in negative consequences for proper whale conservation)?