The International Whaling Commission is in a state of turmoil, and its future is uncertain. Although the IWC was initially founded as a whaling organization — setting quotas for annual whale hunts — it has become a force for whale conservation in recent years, most notably by maintaining a decades-long commercial whaling moratorium. This is now at risk, and the IWC may again be no more than an organization for whale hunters, not whales.

The greatest threat to the IWC comes from Japan and their hard-fought campaign to end the commercial whaling moratorium. Over the years, Japan has quietly recruited new nations to the IWC. Japan urges each newly-recruited nation to vote in favor of commercial whaling, often offering financial incentives in return. This practice is known as vote-buying, and could be devastating for the world’s whales.

Many believe that Japan has acquired enough votes, and that the 2010 IWC meeting could mark the end of the commercial whaling moratorium. We can’t let this happen.