9. Antarctic Catch Limitation
(from "Chairman's Report of the Twelfth Meeting")
To give time for the Antarctic pelagic whaling countries to reach agreement on
the sharing of the permitted catch, and to support a request that the
Netherlands and Norway should return to the Convention, the United Kingdom
Commissioner proposed that the Antarctic blue whale unit limit should be
suspended for the seasons 1960/61 and 1961/62.
The proposal was received with some reluctance but was seconded by the South
African Commissioner and carried by seven votes against two with four
abstentions.
In making this decision it was understood that should the Netherlands and
Norway not rejoin the Convention the suspension would be revoked within the
period prescribed for the lodging of objections by Contracting Governments.
Desiring to ensure that advantage was not taken of the suspension of the
catch ceiling, the United States Commissioner proposed, and the South African
Commissioner seconded, the following resolution:-
"In view of the action taken to suspend the limit on the Antarctic pelagic
whale catch until the season 1962/63, the Commission resolves it to be of
extreme importance that each of the countries engaged in pelagic whaling
should limit the size of its national catch to a level in no event greater than
that adopted for the season of 1959/60; and that the Secretary be instructed
so to inform those Governments."
This resolution was carried by a majority of eight against one, with four
abstentions.
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