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Commercial whaling has been banned worldwide since 1986 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Antigua and Barbuda joined the IWC in 1982 and voted in favor of this ban. However, since 1994, Antigua and Barbuda’s representatives to the IWC have openly supported proposals to resume commercial whaling and opposed conservation measures, such as the creation of whale sanctuaries. These are the findings of a coalition of Antigua and Barbuda-based organizations specializing in biodiversity and whale conservation. The coalition launched an online petition earlier this week to protest the government’s stance.
“We have no whaling tradition, we do not consume whale meat, and we have strict national legislation protecting these cetaceans,” the association emphasizes in its petition. “Our support for whaling stems from close diplomatic and financial ties with Japan, one of the last three nations still engaging in commercial whaling.” At the last two IWC meetings, Antigua and Barbuda submitted proposals aimed at paving the way for the resumption of commercial whaling. These proposals were withdrawn each time, but the country has resubmitted the proposal for the 70th IWC meeting, to be held in Australia in late September 2026.”
The humpback whales are, of course, the same ones that pass through the waters of the French West Indies every year—the very same ones that schoolchildren from Saint Barthélemy go out to sea to listen to and observe.
The petition is available online on the website of The Antigua and Barbuda Coalition for the Protection of Whales (www.antiguaprotectwhales.org). It will be addressed to the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda.
