The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a specialised regional fishery management organisation, established under the terms of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) to "provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry".International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, with Schedule of Whaling Regulations, 2 December 1946, 62 Statss. 1716, 161 UNTS 72.
As the decision-making body of the convention, the IWC reviews and revises measures laid down in the "Schedule to the Convention", which govern the conduct of whaling throughout the world. These measures include: confer complete protection of certain species; designate specific areas as whale sanctuaries; set limits on the numbers and size of whales which may be taken; prescribe open and closed seasons and areas for whaling; and prohibit the capture of suckling calves and female whales accompanied by calves. The Commission also mandates the compilation of catch reports and other statistical and biological records, and is actively involved in whale research, including funding and promoting studies, publishing the results of scientific research, and encouraging studies into related matters, such as the humaneness of the killing operations.
Through the "Florianópolis Declaration" of 2018, members of the organization concluded that the purpose of the IWC is the conservation of whales and that they would now safeguard the marine mammals in perpetuity and would allow the recovery of all whale populations to pre-industrial whaling levels. In response, Japan announced on 26 December 2018, that since the IWC failed its duty to promote sustainable hunting, which is one of its stated goals, Japan is withdrawing its membership and will resume commercial hunting in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone from July 2019, but will cease whaling activities in the Southern Hemisphere.
Structure and membership
The IWC was created by voluntary agreement among the member states to function as the sole governing body with authority to act under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling which is an international environmental agreement signed in 1946 in order to "provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry" and to implement its economic and environmental goals. The role of the commission is to periodically review and revise the Schedule to the Convention,Article I(1) of the ICRW incorporates the Schedule (as amended) into the Convention as an integral part thereof. controlling the conduct of whaling by setting the protection of certain species; designating areas as whale sanctuaries; setting limits on the numbers and size of catches; prescribing open and closed seasons and areas for whaling; methods and intensity of whaling, types of gear to be used, methods of measurement and maximum catch returns. Under its constitutive document, the IWC is given the task of adopting regulations "to provide for the conservation, development, and optimum utilization of the whale resources" with the condition that such regulations "shall be based on scientific findings."ICRW, note 1, Art. V(2).
The headquarters of the IWC is in Impington, near Cambridge, England. The Secretariat publishes the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, reports, press releases, and a calendar of meetings. The commission has three main committees—Scientific, Conservation, and Finance and Administration. A Technical Committee is established, but has stopped meeting.
Participation in the IWC is not limited to states involved in whaling. Membership in the IWC has doubled since 2001 with an average of almost six states per year joining the IWC from 2002 to 2008. As of September there were 89 members: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Republic of the Congo, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark (which also acts as the Kingdom with the Faroe Islands and Greenland), Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eritrea, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, the Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Grenada, Republic of Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Kiribati, South Korea, Laos, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mali, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Morocco, Naoeru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Palau, Panama, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Togo, Türkiye, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, United States, and Uruguay.
Since 2012 the IWC has met in even-numbered years, in September or October. Meetings are composed of one voting representative (called a Commissioner) from each state party who may be accompanied by experts and advisors. They are generally extremely divisive—demonstrating a complete split on all major issues between the pro-whaling governments and their supporters and the anti-whaling countries. The IWC's Rules of Procedure allow non-parties and intergovernmental organisations to attend the meetings and to be represented by observers if they have submitted a written request to the Secretary thirty days before the meeting or if they have attended previous meetings.Rules of Procedure of the International Whaling Commission, IWC, P B(2)(a)-(b) (2000). Non-governmental organisations that maintain offices in more than three countries may also attend the meetings of the IWC.Note 6, P B(2)(a)-(b) (2000).
In 2012, the Commission agreed to move from annual to biennial Commission Meetings. The Scientific Committee continues to meet annually. In years where both meetings are held, a period of at least 100 days separates the two. This is to allow time to read and digest the reports of the Scientific Committee Meeting, before the Commission Meeting begins.
Annual meetings
Members of the International Whaling Commission have met every year since 1949, in addition to having occasional intersessional 'special meetings' (these are not 'annual meetings').
In recent years, the meetings have attracted international media attention due to the growth of the anti-whaling movement.
Year Host city, country 1969 London, United Kingdom 1970 London, United Kingdom 1971 Washington, D.C., United States 1972 London, United Kingdom 1973 London, United Kingdom 1974 London, United Kingdom 1975 London, United Kingdom 1976 London, United Kingdom 1977 Canberra, Australia 1978 Cambridge, United Kingdom 1979 Cambridge, United Kingdom 1980 Cambridge, United Kingdom 1981 Cambridge, United Kingdom 1982 Brighton, United Kingdom 1983 Brighton, United Kingdom 1984 Eastbourne, United Kingdom 1985 Bournemouth, United Kingdom 1986 Malmö, Sweden 1987 Bournemouth, United Kingdom 1988 San Diego, United States 1989 San Diego, United States 1990 Noordwijkerhout, Netherlands 1991 Reykjavík, Iceland 1992 Glasgow, United Kingdom 1993 Kyoto, Japan 1994 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 1995 Dublin, Ireland 1996 Aberdeen, United Kingdom 1997 Bournemouth, United Kingdom 1998 Muscat, Oman 1999 St. George's, Grenada
+ International Whaling Commission annual meetings since 2000 Year Dates Host City Reference 2000 3–6 July Australia Adelaide IWC 2001 23–27 July United Kingdom London IWC 2002 20–24 May Japan Shimonoseki IWC 2003 16–20 June Germany Berlin IWC 2004 19–22 July Italy Sorrento IWC 2005 20–24 June South Korea Ulsan IWC 2006 16–20 June Saint Kitts and Nevis Frigate Bay IWC 2007 28–31 May United States Anchorage IWC 2008 23–27 June Chile Santiago IWC 2009 22–26 June Portugal Funchal (Madeira) IWC 2010 21–25 June Morocco Agadir IWC 2011 11–14 June Jersey St Helier IWC 2012 2–6 July Panama Panama City IWC 2014 15–18 September Slovenia Portorož 2016 20–28 October Slovenia Portorož 2018 4–14 September Brazil Florianópolis 2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic2022 13–21 October Slovenia Portorož 2024 23–27 September Peru Lima 202627 September – 2 OctoberAustraliaHobart
The IWC also holds occasional "special meetings" (there were five between 1949 and 2007).
From 2012 onwards, it was decided that the annual Commission Meetings would go to biennial Commission Meetings, while the IWC Scientific Committee would still meet annually.
IWC meeting in 2005
The International Whaling Commission meeting in 2005 was held in Ulsan, South Korea from 20–24 June 2005. This meeting saw discussion and vote upon several particularly divisive matters. Notable among them were three defeated Japanese proposals: A proposal to have secret ballot voting. Many watchers of the Commission interpreted this proposal as designed to allow Japan's protégé member states to vote in a way that was less transparent. A proposal to re-institute commercial whaling, which would have required a three quarters majority to carry the vote, was defeated 29 votes to 23 against. A proposal to remove a decade old Southern Ocean whale sanctuary, which was defeated 30 votes against 25.
Responding to Japan's stated intentions of increasing their scientific whaling quota, Australia also introduced a non-binding resolution that calls on Japan to halt the expansion of its scientific whaling program, which was supported by 30 votes to 25. Opponents of scientific whaling claim it is commercial whaling under a different name. New Zealand's Minister of Conservation, Chris Carter, said, "We find (the) whole use of the phrase 'scientific whaling' an outrage." Japan, however, claims that their research activities contribute to scientific knowledge of the management of whales. In the face of these setbacks, Japan has not ruled out withdrawing from the IWC, but this would require approval by the Japanese parliament.
IWC meeting in 2006
The International Whaling Commission meeting in 2006 was held 16 June–20 June in St Kitts and Nevis. Pro whaling countries unsuccessfully challenged the 1982 moratorium, yet succeeded in shifting the IWC focus from whale conservation to management of commercial whaling.A full provisional meeting agenda can be seen here :Annotated Provisional Agenda (PDF)
Of the two votes proposed by Japan on the first day, both were defeated by narrow majorities. 30–32 in the case of removing small cetaceans from IWC competence and 30–33 on the proposal to introduce secret ballots. A number of countries, including Costa Rica, Gambia, Peru, and Togo were not present at the vote or had not completed their registration procedures/fees payments before the votes.
Greenland voluntarily introduced a reduction in fin whales taken following advice from the IWC Scientific committee (IWC SC) that the catch of 19 animals may not be a safe level of catch and noted that this left Greenland with a shortfall of 220 tons of whale meat from their quota of 670 tons. They made enquiries into the stock levels of Humpback whales and Bowhead whales around Greenland, with the possible intent of opening up a hunt eventually on these two species to make up the shortfall. This of course alarmed anti-whaling countries and NGO's immediately .
The RMS was discussed yet again in depth to no avail, with the chairman of the IWC, Henrik Fischer, noting that RMS discussions are at an impasse and that he will close discussion on the RMS on the afternoon of 18 June if nobody comes up with any new ideas.
Japan proposed a schedule amendment regarding its coastal whaling communities to take a small number of Minke whales From the "O" Stock. After much discussion, the proposal was defeated with 30 votes for the proposal and 31 votes against with 4 abstentions.