There was a lot at stake. The Southern Ocean is home to 80% of the world’s whales. Any future commercial whaling industry would have to be based there. And the government of Japan was investing in counting the whales of the Antarctic so that a whaling industry could be re-established and claiming that the minke population was rapidly growing and competing with the critically endangered blue whales, preventing their recovery. (They had not yet thought of blaming whales for the demise of fish stocks. When the IWC’s scientific committee studied Japan's minke/blue whale claim, not even the Japanese scientists could support it.)

If we could establish the sanctuary, not only would it protect the whales in their feeding grounds but it would overlap with the Indian Ocean sanctuary, which protected the warm water calving grounds and migratory routes. For the first time ever, populations of whales would be able to live their entire lives in a sanctuary.

The Government of Japan needed just 26% of the votes, 9 out of the 32 voting members, to block the sanctuary. And they had brought their paid allies, small island states who supported Japan on every vote in return for aid packages. The Solomon Islands, whose officials later admitted selling their vote to Japan, was rumoured not to be attending but then showed up at the last moment. The numbers looked very close... But the paid delegations, who were normally quick to oppose any move to protect whales, were uncharacteristically quiet. As the vote got closer, one of the paid allies walked out, muttering that they did not want to be here for ‘this farce.’.

It got stranger. Japan, which had clamed that all whale sanctuaries are illegal, proposed its own sanctuary , covering all waters around the Antarctic, but with an exemption to allow minke whales to be hunted. (They even proposed that fin whales be totally protected for 80 years. Twelve years later they plan to catch 10 fin whales in the Antarctic (2006/07), and 50 next year.) Finally on 26 May, 1994, the real Southern Ocean sanctuary, which banned all whaling in the area, was approved by a vote of 23 to 1.

The party went on all night. There were fireworks. Everyone who had been involved in lobbying was thrown into a swimming pool. It’s surprisingly easy to swim in a suit although I did take my tie off.

The next morning I showed up late and found a meeting room that was almost empty; large delegations reduced to single placeholders. But the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary was in place. And despite Japan’s many attempts to overturn it, the most recent in June 2006, it still is.

- John Frizell, Oceans Campaigner