(from "Chairman's Report of the Fifty-Second Annual Meeting")

SOWER 2000
The Chair of the Scientific Committee reported on the successful outcome of the first collaborative work with CCAMLR between December 1999 and February 2000 in the Antarctic Peninsular region using three national vessels provided by the USA, the UK and Japan. Overall cruise methodology was primarily directed at obtaining estimates of krill biomass but oceanographic sampling was also included. A total of 883 cetacean sightings was recorded including humpback (193 sightings), minke (111), fin (61) and southern bottlenose whales (53); hourglass dolphins were the most frequently sighted small cetaceans (29 sightings). A passive acoustic component was also implemented. Satellite and CTD data revealed frontal zones near the South Shetland Islands and in the region of 57-58°S, with cold water representing the Antarctic Circumpolar Current most apparent west of the Antarctic Peninsula and South Shetland Islands at a depth of 200m.

These data have great potential. Initial analyses will include comparisons of krill and whale biomass, and the role of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in determining the distribution and abundance of whales and their prey. Full analysis will require IWC collaboration at CCAMLR workshops - the first such workshops will probably not occur before August 2001. The integration of data from multidisciplinary programmes is a time consuming and complex undertaking, and the Committee stressed that it will only succeed if close cooperation and participation between appropriate scientists from both organisations can continue through to the final analysis and write-up stages.

The Scientific Committee had agreed that the collaborative work had been extremely successful and had congratulated those involved. The combination of cetacean, krill and oceanographic and other research will contribute directly to the objectives of the IWC and CCAMLR. In such a collaborative process, the IWC will gain significant information at relatively little cost. The Committee strongly endorsed continuing collaboration on future CCAMLR projects.

With respect to future work, studies are planned with Southern Ocean GLOBEC. It will be not be possible to include the planned fine-scale cetacean work since the two Japanese sighting vessels are no longer available. However, there remains the opportunity for a year-round oceanographic and krill sampling survey from which cetacean sighting and feeding ecology work can be conducted to provide temporal and spatial information on baleen whales at the meso-scale - which is also of importance. The Scientific Committee agreed that it would be valuable to obtain cetacean observer berths on sections (October to February) of the year-round study in the 2001/2 season and for the German GLOBEC survey in March-May 2001.

The Scientific Committee Chair noted that the budget request for the work described is discussed under Item 19. She stressed that for the programme to succeed, contributions are needed from other IWC member countries to fund, for example, teams of cetacean observers.

14.1.2 Commission discussions
The Commission endorsed the Scientific Committee's recommendations regarding the POLLUTION 2000+ and SOWER 2000 programmes.

The Netherlands and the USA congratulated the Scientific Committee for its work on POLLUTION 2000+ and SOWER 2000, and believed these programmes to be very successful. The Netherlands considered that one example of progress is the publication of the first Special Issue of the Journal of Cetacean Research and Management on Chemical Pollutants and Cetaceans. The USA noted in particular the collaboration with CCAMLR and considers this to contribute significantly to research in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary.

Japan expressed some worries over both programmes. It was concerned that large cetaceans - the focus of the Convention - are not directly included in the POLLUTION 2000+ programme. It also believed that the SOWER 2000 programme, which grew out of the IDCR (International Decade for Cetacean Research), had deviated from its original primary purpose (i.e. stock assessment), and that the environmental element has expanded to too large a scale. For this reason Japan could not make its vessels available for the Southern Ocean GLOBEC cruise.

14.2 Arctic matters
14.2.1 Report of the Scientific Committee
The interest of the Scientific Committee and the Commission in large scale research programmes in the Arctic, reflects:

(1)

that the predicted impacts of global climate change are greater in the Arctic (and Antarctic) relative to lower latitudes;

(2)

that most aboriginal subsistence harvesting of whales takes place in the Arctic, where access to cetaceans is critical to the subsistence lifestyle of subsistence hunters; and

(3)

the migratory behaviour of large whales in the Arctic means that international cooperation is essential to carrying out successful research and management programmes on Arctic whales.

There is considerable potential for the IWC to conduct or be involved in synergistic research with existing national and International Arctic research programmes (e.g. US NSF/SBI and SEARCH programmes, AMAP of the Arctic Council). Some cetacean species have already been highlighted as target species for trophic interaction studies (e.g. bowhead, minke, white and gray whales) in these programmes. A number of IWC member nations are already involved in many existing Arctic research programmes that are not focused on whale research.

Given the limits of funding by the IWC, the Chair reported that the Scientific Committee had agreed not to proceed with the full development of a new Arctic initiative as recommended last year. Instead, the Committee strongly encouraged the expansion of existing national and international collaborative research programmes and the provision of advice to the Committee of opportunities to participate.

14.2.2 Commission discussions
The Commission noted the report of the Scientific Committee.

14.3 Habitat related issues
14.3.1 Report of the Scientific Committee
Four issues were addressed by the Scientific Committee: (1) the State of the Cetacean Environment Report; (2) habitat degradation; (3) competition between cetaceans and fisheries; and (4) linking environmental measures and cetacean demographics.

Following intersessional work, a working group had compiled the first annual State of the Cetacean Environment Report (SOCER). The purpose of the SOCER is to provide the Commission with a 'user-friendly' update on regional concerns regarding the status of habitats critical to cetacean life history (e.g. breeding and calving, migratory, and feeding habitats). This will now be compiled annually.

The Chair reported that the Committee had endorsed proposals for a scoping meeting to develop terms of reference and background material for a Workshop on Habitat Degradation. It had not included this as a priority item in its budget, but agreed that it should take place if funding became available.

The Scientific Committee also recommended that a Conference on Competition between Cetaceans and Fisheries take place. This will need considerable preparation and will not be able to take place before March 2002 at the earliest. This timing will allow the participation in an FAO Conference on Fisheries in the Ecosystem scheduled for September 2001. The Committee agreed that evaluation of the relationships between fisheries and marine mammal populations should be based on quantitative models. The primary question to be addressed is: 'How are changes in abundance of cetaceans likely to be linked (in the short term and the long term) to changes in fishery catches?'. An intersessional working group has been established to: (1) identify suitable marine regions where modelling efforts would be focused; (2) evaluate the extent to which the necessary data are available for modelling; (3) identify, and as possible, contract interested parties to undertake analyses related to the terms of reference; and (4) initiate logistical arrangements.

The Scientific Committee also considered a number of papers addressing the links between environmental measures and cetacean demographics. One proposed the use of population models to fit specific population data to obtain estimates of recruitment and then correlate the residuals from such an analysis with environmental covariates. There was a suggestion that photo-identification studies could also be used to address the issue, and it was agreed that this topic should be addressed at next year's meeting. The Scientific Committee received the report of an environmental impact assessment for the San Ignacio Salt Works in Mexico, thanked the Mexican delegates for ensuring that the report was submitted and agreed that it met the intent of the Commission's early request for information on this matter.

14.3.2 Commission discussions
The Netherlands considered the work on SOCER to be of high importance and would continue to support it. Italy hoped to host the scoping meeting for the habitat degradation workshop. Mexico thanked IWC for the important role it had played in recommending experts to review the environmental impact assessment of the San Ignacio Salt Works.

14.4 Health effects
14.4.1 Report of the Scientific Committee
Resolution 1999-4 passed at last year's meeting requested the Scientific Committee to receive, review and collate data on contaminant burdens in cetaceans and forward these as appropriate to WHO and competent authorities and to report on this matter to the Commission. The Resolution also encouraged Contracting Governments, other countries and relevant organisations to continue to forward relevant data concerning contaminants in cetaceans to the Scientific Committee.

A number of papers were submitted to the Scientific Committee, all of which dealt with potential or negative health effects from consuming cetaceans. The Committee indicated that papers on positive health effects of cetacean products were also welcome. Late in the meeting, a letter was received from the Food Safety Programme of WHO identifying a new manual that provides information on presentation of data to be submitted to WHO. It was agreed to establish an intersessional working group to review information contained in the report and to report back to the Committee.

14.4.2 Commission discussions
Monaco welcomed the interest of the IWC in health effects and noted that PCBs, dioxins, mercury and cadmium accumulate in cetaceans in greater concentrations than in fish. It referred to recent toxicological studies that have revealed unacceptable dioxin and mercury levels in many cetacean products found on the market and thus that consuming whale products may be dangerous to human health. It welcomed the response from WHO and encouraged the free-flow of information between WHO, IWC and national agencies and consumer groups on this sensitive issue. It looked forward to getting reassurance at next year's meeting that whale meat consumers are being properly informed about what they are buying and the potential risks involved.

The USA were also pleased with the exchange of correspondence between IWC and WHO and hoped that it would continue. It was interested in both the possible impact of contaminants on human health via consumption of whale products and the possible impact of contaminants on whales.

Norway stressed that the levels of contaminants of both organochlorines and heavy metals in whale products vary greatly among species, within species between geographical areas and among the different tissues in an individual whale. From research currently being conducted on contaminant concentrations in marine mammals and fish, Norway informed the meeting that levels found so far in the Norwegian minke whale hunt are very low. Norway will continue to monitor contaminant levels and report them to the Scientific Committee.

Japan did not consider this topic to be a priority matter for the Scientific Committee. It believed that such work should be entrusted to organisations like WHO that have the appropriate expertise. Japan spoke about the large amount of information it has collected on contaminants through its research activities such as JARPA and JARPN, which have shown very low levels of contamination and hardly any in minke whales. Japan also noted the benefits gained among people eating whale products, such as the lower incidence of heart or cardiovascular disease and asthma, and longevity.

Denmark again referred to the document titled 'Traditional Food - Environment and Health Concerns' that had been introduced during discussions on aboriginal subsistence whaling (see Item 10). A representative of the Greenland Home Rule Government stressed the importance of marine mammals as a food resource and stated that Greenland's traditional food could not be replaced by imported and westernised food. Greenland recognised the need to monitor contaminants in Arctic wildlife but stressed that potential risks from contaminants should be weighed against the known benefits of its traditional food. As users of marine mammals over the past four thousand years, Greenland would not tolerate or accept further pollution of the marine environment. The Greenland Home Rule Government did not consider IWC the appropriate body to be deal with this issue and hoped that IWC would seek advice not only from WHO but also from the Arctic Monitoring Assessment Programme (AMAP).

Professor Hansen, University of Aarhus, who had prepared the document for the Greenland Home Rule Government, summarised the paper's findings which included information on: (1) effects of contaminants in whales and humans; (2) guidelines on acceptable exposure limits from a public health view point; (3) contaminant levels in whales; (4) temporal trends; and (5) the Arctic dilemma (i.e. the nutrition of the diet versus contaminant levels).

The USA, UK and Japan thanked Denmark for the informative paper. Recalling last year's Resolution 1999-4, the USA encouraged Commission members to submit this type of information for discussion

14.5 Reports from Contracting Governments
The USA tabled a document titled 'The facts about whales and fish stocks', that had been compiled by scientists from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Norway considered that the document contained misleading statements and asked if the USA endorsed the paper. The USA confirmed that it did endorse the paper. France thanked the USA for the document, which it considered important, particularly as it was also translated into French.

The UK stressed the importance of studying the effects of environmental threats on cetaceans. The UK mentioned that it had demonstrated its commitment to the SOWER 2000 programme through a contribution of £20,000 and urged other states to contribute also. It highlighted the value of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in providing a relatively undisturbed area in which to carry out studies of this kind, adding that the UK would continue to support the creation of further sanctuaries to facilitate further non-lethal research. The UK listed a number of activities in which it is engaged, including support to the Scientific Committee on habitat degradation issues, investigations on possible effects of contaminants on cetacean health through research on stranded animals, and involvement with ASCOBANS. It believed that IWC had a vital coordinating role to play in the environmental work and strongly urged the Chairman, the IWC and member states to ensure that this issue remains a central issue and that core funding is made available to support it.

14.6 Action arising
The Commission endorsed the Scientific Committee's work plan.

RESOLUTION ON POPS AND HEAVY METALS
This Resolution was introduced by Denmark on behalf of the other co-sponsors Finland and Sweden. The Resolution recalled two protocols - one on POPs (persistent organic pollutants), the other on heavy metals - signed under the Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution, in Denmark in June 1998 by the European Union and 35 countries. The resolution encouraged Contracting Governments who have not yet either signed or ratified the protocols to consider doing so in the near future.

Japan commented that it would not take part in the decision-making on the Resolution since it was not one of the 35 countries involved in the protocols. Norway appreciated the concern shown by the Resolution sponsors on the need for international action on POPs, but was not convinced that IWC was the right forum for handling this issue. As there was no opposition, the Resolution (2000-6, Appendix 1) was adopted by consensus but the comments of Japan and Norway were noted.

RESOLUTION ON ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND CETACEANS
This resolution was introduced by Italy on behalf of the other co-sponsors (Australia, Austria, Brazil, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK and the USA). Its main aim was to urgently request Contracting Governments and other interested parties to continue financial and other support for research activities investigating the effects of environmental change on cetaceans. Switzerland and Oman indicated that they wished to co-sponsor the Resolution. Norway, although interested in the contents of the Resolution, considered that the research should take place outside IWC. It believed that the wording of the Resolution was too binding on financial support, but indicated that it could be part of a consensus but would not vote on it. Japan associated itself with Norway. The Resolution (2000-7, Appendix 1) was adopted by consensus, noting the comments of Norway and Japan.

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