Willem Wijnstekers, secretary general of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), told a news conference CITES could not undermine the 53-nation International Whaling Commission, whose job is to ensure the conservation of whale stocks.

"As long as the International Whaling Commission maintains a zero-catch quota for commercial reasons in its management of minke whales, then the best way to coordinate that level of protection within CITES is by maintaining the species in appendix I," Wijnstekers said.

Appendix I lists species that are threatened with extinction and whose trade is generally prohibited by CITES.

On May 11, Japan asked CITES to downgrade the protection of three stocks of minke whale from appendix I to appendix II, a list of species in which closely controlled trade is permitted.

Species listed in appendix II are in danger of becoming extinct unless their trade is strictly limited.

Japan officially stopped commercial whaling in 1988 after withdrawing its objection to the global moratorium on commercial whaling imposed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

But it began what it calls "research" whaling in 1987, using a loophole in the moratorium that permits the hunting of whales for scientific research purposes.

Japan kills about 700 large whales a year in the name of this "research", including animals taken on a summer whaling voyage to the North Pacific which is doubly controversial as endangered sei whales have been part of the quota.

Japan argued in its proposal in May that the IWC had never provided scientific evidence to back up its moratorium on commercial whaling.

The Japanese request related to three stocks of minke whales from the Okhotsk Sea-West Pacific, Northeast Atlantic and North Atlantic Central maritime regions.

Minke whales, which measure up to 10 metres (30 feet) long and weigh some seven to eight tonnes each, are regarded as the most abundant of the whale species.

The meat from the "research" cull -- about 2,000 tonnes annually, according to environmental groups -- ends up in supermarkets and restaurants across Japan, a practice defended by the government on the grounds it finances future whaling missions.

The 164 countries who are signatories to CITES are due to hold their annual review of the rules on protecting whales, along with those covering some 5,000 other animal and 28,000 plant species, at a conference in Bangkok, Thailand, starting on October 12.

TERRA.WIRE