The 64th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission and its scientific partners and advisors has been taking place in Panama City, Panama... The Commission’s plenary takes place from July 2 to July 6.

Humane Society International (HSI) has sent a delegation to Panama to call on the IWC to protect whales with stronger agreements...

"This year we will press the United States and other nations to exert strong leadership in advancing an agenda that extends beyond whaling to the broader range of threats that imperil whales throughout our oceans,” says Kitty Block, HSI vice president.

Current threats faced by whales identified by HSI include ship strikes, chemical and noise pollution, entanglement, oil spills, radioactive contamination, emerging diseases and climate change...

The International Whaling Commission has developed considerably in recent years from a body devoted to whaling to a global org focusing more on protecting whales; however catastrophes involving whales are still occurring at sea.

The HSI now wants the organisation to go further: "by transcending the question of whaling and extending its role in relation to the myriad troubles that beset the world’s whales and their habitats."

HSI is supporting the creation of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary and a Monaco proposal for greater UN involvement in whale protection and ocean controls...

However, whaling nations continue to hinder progress for the supporters of greater whale protection...

HSI cites Japan's proposal for small-vessel coastal whaling, which HSI alleges is a violation of the 30-year-old moratorium on commercial whaling, and is also campaigning against Denmark, that despite its pro-environmental stance in terms of renewable energy has applied for an increased whaling quota for Greenland.

On the eve of the Whaling Commission annual meeting, HSI delivered a petition concerning Denmark’s position on commercial whaling to the Danish government...

In the EU, whales, along with dolphins and porpoises are protected from being captured, killed and traded. However, HSI alleges the Danish government has supported commercial whaling and opposes pro-conservation measures at the International Whaling Commission.

The signatures of more than 18,000 people were handed to the Ambassador Poul Skytte Christoffersen at the Danish Embassy in Brussels.

The charity says it is actively increasing its efforts to promote whale conservation and is calling on supporters to become more involved in its campaigns...