United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Richard Cowan
In the nineteenth century, the United Kingdom was a major whaling nation, using reduced whale fat to power oil-burning lamps in its cities. The industry dwindled following the widespread availability of petroleum, however. The United Kingdom was a founding member of the International Whaling Commission. Richard Cowan was appointed on March 21, 2001. The following is excerpted from the United Kingdom’s opening statement at the Berlin meeting of the IWC on June 16, 2003. The UK believes that the overriding responsibility of this Commission is to safeguard the future of all cetaceans. Though there has been some improvement in a…
