The International Whaling Commission (IWC) on Wednesday approved Britain’s proposal to only accept membership dues by bank transfers, a move which aims to prevent cash-for-votes scandals.

The proposal was approved at the IWC’s annual meeting being held in the British island of Jersey. Environmental groups have welcomed the move.

Patrick Ramage, the whale program director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said, “Some countries are resistant to that. But we're pleased at the progress we're seeing and the prospect of a credible and more modern IWC ultimately emerging here."

The new proposal has been accepted as the 89-member body was last year rocked by allegations that Japan used cash and development project plans to magnetize Caribbean and African nations to vote in favor of commercial whaling practices.

Paying membership dues by bank transfers is expected to make the system more transparent as bank transfers can easily be traced.

Captain Paul Watson, the president of the IWC, said that the chief part of the current session’s tactics would consist of preventing whale-hunters from loading whales onto their ships.

Some countries, including Japan, are still going on with their commercial whaling practices despite a moratorium on commercial whaling since 1986.