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Hon. Cedric Liburd (centre), minister responsible for fisheries, led a three-member delegation to the 57th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) which opened on Monday in Korea. |
ULSAN, REPUBLIC OF KOREA (June 20, 2005): The 57th Annual Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) opened today with a call for enhancing long-term conservation and sustainable use of the worlds marine resources.
The comment was made in the welcome address by Dr Keo-Don Oh, the minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the Republic of Korea. He indicated that the IWC Ulsan meeting provided a window of opportunity in the interest and co-prosperity of all humankind, in the management of the worlds whale resources.
St. Kitts and Nevis is being represented by a three-member delegation led by the Hon. Cedric Liburd, minister responsible for fisheries, and who serves as a commissioner in the IWC. Among the critical issues up for discussion are the Revised Management System (RMS), an update on whale stocks worldwide, the proposed establishment of whale sanctuaries, socio-economic implications for small-scale whaling (as done in the Eastern Caribbean), and administrative matters.
Whales migrate through the territorial waters of St. Kitts and Nevis annually and could have future economic value to the Federation, particularly through tourism whale-watching. But other countries such as St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia have had a long-time, small-scale whaling industries. The work of the IWC could have profound impact on the Eastern Caribbean, says Minister Liburd, and it is important that St. Kitts and Nevis and the rest of the Eastern Caribbean are involved to protect present and long-term interests.
St. Kitts and Nevis as an independent nation must make sure that whatever happens in the world that we are a part of it, because if we are not, decisions would be taken on our behalf even though we are not there, therefore, we have to make sure that we are a part of any international organization that is going to have an effect on St. Kitts and Nevis in the future, said Minister Liburd, indicating that it takes on added importance with the closure of the sugar industry and the reorientation of the economy.
The minister is accompanied by his Permanent Secretary Mr. Ian Liburd and Senior Fisheries Officer Mr. Joe Simmonds.
