Pacific's Cook Islands declares whale sanctuary
Date: 24-Sep-01
Country: NEW ZEALAND
Covering the Cook Islands' exclusive economic zone, the sanctuary recognised scientific evidence that many of the great whale species were severely depleted, Deputy Prime Minister Robert Woonton said in a statement.
The Cook Islands, a self governing state in free association with New Zealand, has a population of about 19,000 scattered on 13 islands northeast of New Zealand.
The South Pacific Islands forum in Nauru last month agreed to pursue creating a South Pacific whale sanctuary, with leaders noting that member countries were looking to protect whales within their national oceans.
There are two large sanctuaries for the world's dozen great whale species - from the giant blue whale to the smaller Minke - in the Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean.
