In some potential good news for the anti-whaling movement, it appears that Nicaragua will no longer vote for alongside pro-whaling nations at the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

I say "appears" only because the article in question is in Spanish and the Babel Fish translation was nearly incomprehensible.

The pro-whaling camp has been making significant progress in recent years, thanks in large part to the Japanese efforts to stack the international panel in their favour. Japan has been bringing "sympathetic" countries into the IWC by exchanging foreign aid and IWC membership fees for pro-whaling votes.

The pro-whaling camp gained a key victory last June when the IWC voted 33 to 32 in favour of the eventual return of commercial whaling. In highly contested and tight voting environment, Nicaragua's apparent shift in policy will be key for efforts to maintain the commercial whaling ban.

If any Spanish speaking readers would like to give their interpretation, your input in the comments section is more than welcome.