Members of the Barbados National Trust on Wednesday condemned the six Eastern Caribbean nations – St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Grenada, Dominica and Antigua – for drafting the pro-whaling resolution that went before the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) meeting in St Kitts this week.

A resolution calling for the condemnation of the six was introduced by historian Dr Karl Watson at the Trust's annual general meeting and supported by all members.

Watson, honorary secretary of the Trust, told the gathering: "These mammals deserve our protection, not slaughtering."

Trust members agreed that the decision would be communicated to the six prime ministers.

In St Kitts, a slim majority of nations on the IWC had joined the resolution supporting a resumption of commercial whaling, but pro-whaling nations still lacked the 75 per cent majority needed to overturn the ban.

The St Kitts resolution, approved by a vote of 33-32 with one abstention, declared that the moratorium on commercial whaling was meant to be temporary and was no longer needed.

Pro-whaling Caribbean delegations have also argued that a return to whaling would help them maintain food security by protecting fisheries from whales. (TY)