A new draft compromise on whaling released by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) today set a dangerous precedent that the international community must reject, WWF said.

A working group within the IWC today unveiled a new compromise aimed at unlocking the stalled negotiation process between countries fundamentally opposed to whaling and states that support it.

While the compromise contains many positive elements for whale conservation that would help bring the IWC into the 21st Century, the compromise could legitimise “scientific” whaling by Japan in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.