7. Pursuance of the Conservation Aims of the Convention

(from "Chairman's Report of the Twelfth Meeting")


A memorandum presented by the United Kingdom Commissioner expressed the concern felt at the situation resulting from the withdrawal of the Netherlands and Norway from the International Whaling Convention and affirmed that, in the absence of two such important pelagic whaling countries, the conservation objectives of the Convention in the Antarctic could not be realised. For this reason all possible steps should be taken to facilitate the return of the Netherlands and Norway to the Convention.

It appeared that these two countries had left the Convention because they considered it wasteful and uneconomic for the five Antarctic pelagic whaling countries to engage in competitive catching against each other within the blue whale unit ceiling laid down, and it seemed to the United Kingdom that satisfactory conditions for exploiting the stocks would not be secured without agreement between the Antarctic whaling countries on arrangements for sharing the total catch. As the Antarctic catch limit had remained unchanged, the position of all the Antarctic pelagic whaling countries would be prejudiced if the Netherlands and Norway returned to the Convention before either national quotas had been agreed or some temporary adjustment had been made in the catch limit ceiling. The conclusion of renewed quota discussions would take time and the United Kingdom Commissioner proposed that the blue whale unit ceiling should be suspended for two seasons to enable a quota agreement to be reached and an international scheme of inspection to be established. The suspension of the ceiling could be made conditional upon the return of the Netherlands and Norway to the Convention within a short time, and to this end the other Antarctic pelagic whaling countries might undertake to lodge objection to the suspension within the prescribed 90-day period unless the Netherlands and Norway rejoined. During the two-year period of suspension the Antarctic whaling countries should voluntarily limit their national catches by imposing quotas no greater than those adopted for the 1959/60 season.

With regard to the concern expressed by the Scientific Committee over the condition of the blue whale stock in the Antarctic, the United Kingdom Commissioner proposed that the catching season should be shortened by fourteen days, provided that the Netherlands and Norway would be willing to observe this regulation.

Finally the United Kingdom Commissioner proposed that a small committee of three scientists qualified in population dynamics or some other appropriate science should be appointed by the Commission to carry out an independent scientific assessment of the condition of the whale stocks in the Antarctic which would provide a scientific basis for the consideration of appropriate conservation measures by the Commission.

The following sections of this report records the action taken as a result of the Commissioner's consideration of the United Kingdom memorandum.

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