How the countries voted at the IWC
Report from the IWC (International Whaling Commission) for 2006
Description of the Votes
Vote Number 1
Japan Moves to Oppose Conservation of Small
Cetaceans. They Failed. Japan opened with a
resolution to prevent the IWC from discussing the
conservation of small cetaceans. The vote was 32 for
the whales and 30 for the whalers.
Vote Number 2
Japan Moves to Remove Openess at the IWC and Proposes
Secret Ballots. They Failed. The 2nd vote was to
introduce secret ballots. The vote was 33 for the
whales and 30 for the whalers. This would have
allowed nations to vote for Japan without
repercussions from their own citizens.
Vote Number 3
Japan Moves to allow Japanese coastal whaling. They
Failed. Japan proposed a motion to allow Japanese
coastal communities to hunt whales. This would have
effectively circumvented the 1986 moratorium on
commercial whaling. The vote was 30 for Japan and 31
for the whales.
Vote Number 4
Japan Moves to eliminate the Southern Oceans Whale
Sanctuary. They Failed. The 4th and most important
vote was a Japanese proposal to eliminate the
Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. It needed a two
thirds majority but Japan was hoping for a simple
majority to lend legitimacy to their illegal
slaughter of whales in Antarctic waters. The vote was
28 for Japan and 33.
Vote Number 5
The Infamous St. Kitts Declaration. Japan Moves to
condemn the global moratorium on commercial whaling,
to accuse the whales of eating all the world's fish
and to condemn non-governmental whale conservations
groups as "threats". They win the simple majority
vote by one but failed to get the two-thirds majority
required. Nonetheless Japan declares their first
moral victory in 20 years. Passed by 33 votes to 32,
the resolution stated the whaling ban was no longer
necessary. It said whales were responsible for
depleting fish stocks and non-governmental
organizations were a "threat". This motion required a
two-thirds majority to win.
Results
Japan and the whalers have lost all five votes on resolutions brought before the IWC to undermine the conservation of whales.
The Voting Record by Nations
| Y | Yes |
| Y | No |
| A | Absent |
| M | Missed |
Note: Missed denotes that the country did not show up for the vote or did not qualify for the vote because of non-payment of membership fees. The whale conservation vote would have won out in every case if the memberships fees for Kenya, Costa Rica and Peru had been paid. If the memberships for these three nations can be paid by pro-whale governments and/or NGO's then these three votes can be had for the whales next year.
| Country | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Argentina | N | N | N | N | N |
| Australia | N | N | N | N | N |
| Austria | N | N | N | N | N |
| Belgium | N | N | N | N | N |
| Belize | N | N | N | N | N |
| Benin | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Brazil | N | N | N | N | N |
| Cambodia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Chile | N | N | N | N | N |
| Cameroon | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| China | Y | Y | A | Y | A |
| Costa Rica | N | N | N | N | N |
| Cote D'Ivoire | Y | Y | Y | M | Y |
| Czech Republic | N | N | N | N | N |
| Denmark | A | N | Y | N | Y |
| Dominica | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Finland | N | N | N | N | N |
| France | N | N | N | N | N |
| Gabon | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Gambia | M | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Germany | N | N | N | N | N |
| Grenada | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Guatemala | M | M | M | M | M |
| Guinea | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Hungary | N | N | N | N | N |
| Iceland | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| India | N | N | N | N | N |
| Ireland | N | N | N | N | N |
| Israel | N | N | N | N | N |
| Italy | N | N | N | N | N |
| Japan | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Kenya | M | M | M | M | M |
| Kiribati | Y | Y | A | Y | Y |
| Korea | Y | Y | A | A | Y |
| Luxembourg | N | N | N | N | N |
| Mali | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Marshall Islands | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mauritania | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Mexico | N | N | N | N | N |
| Monaco | N | N | N | N | N |
| Mongolia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Morocco | Y | Y | Y | A | Y |
| Nauru | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Netherlands | N | N | N | N | N |
| New Zealand | N | N | N | N | N |
| Nicaragua | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Nrway | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Oman | N | N | Y | N | N |
| Palau | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Panama | N | N | N | N | N |
| Peru | M | M | M | M | M |
| Portugal | N | N | N | N | N |
| Russia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| St. Kitts and Nevis | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| St. Lucia | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| St. Vincent and Grenadines | Y | Y | Y | A | Y |
| San Marino | N | N | N | N | N |
| Senegal | M | M | M | Y | Y |
| Slovak Republic | N | N | N | N | N |
| Solomon Islands | Y | A | A | Y | Y |
| South Africa | N | N | N | N | N |
| Spain | N | N | N | N | N |
| Suriname | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
| Sweden | N | N | N | N | N |
| Switzerland | N | N | N | N | N |
| Togo | M | M | Y | Y | Y |
| Tuvalu | Y | Y | Y | A | A |
| United Kingdom | N | N | N | N | N |
| United States | N | N | N | N | N |
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