The International Whaling Commission (IWC) recently widened its conservation role by voting to take a greater role in the protection of all cetaceans. Formerly, the IWC only focused on conservation of commercially valuable species. But now its efforts will examine the effects of climate change, pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, collisions with ships, humane killing methods, and habitat loss on all cetaceans.

The decision was met with cool response from Japan, Iceland, and Norway—the only countries that still practice commercial whaling. Japan threatened to pull out of the IWC (which is not surprising given their efforts to develop ever more efficient ways of locating whales for killing) and Norway is encouraging the development of organized whaling outside the realm of the IWC.

Pro-whaling countries believe that the IWC's role is to conserve whales only in an effort to one day resume full scale whaling.

Find out more:

• Greater Protection for Whales Agreed (BBC News)
• Japan Threatens Whaling Walkout (BBC News)
• A Video Report by the BBC's Beth Coulson (BBC News)

Photo © Thomas Hruschka / Shutterstock.