Seven West African nations are facing backlash after supporting a proposal to resume commercial whaling – claiming it would help fight food insecurity. The move, unexpected from nations with no whaling tradition, was met with dismay from conservation groups.

Senegal, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Gambia, Ghana and Guinea-Bissau co-sponsored an effort to end the four-decade-old moratorium on commercial whaling at the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) most recent meeting in Peru.

“This proposal was never about food security,” said Madison Miketa, a wildlife scientist at Humane Society International. “The nations that put it forward have no history or cultural traditions of eating whale meat.”

Critics suggest Japan, known for its pro-whaling stance, may have influenced the African nations’ position. Japan left the IWC in 2019 but continues whaling in its waters.

Established in 1946, the IWC is responsible for the conservation of whales and the management of whaling. It introduced a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1986.

In the 20th century, humans killed nearly three million whales, putting some species at risk of dying out. Today, about 1,200 whales are still killed by hunters each year.