8. The "Carry-over" of Antarctic Pelagic Whaling Quotas
(from "Chairman's Report of the Thirteenth Meeting")
The proposal, put forward by the Government of the Netherlands in quota
discussions outside the Convention, that any uncaught balances of country
allocations should be carried forward from one season to the next, was
carefully considered by the Technical Committee.
It was realized that there might be economic advantages to a country or
company operating only one expedition if the short-fall of an allocation in
one year could be carried over into the next.
If the quotas were lower than or equal to the optimum catch level for the
purpose of conserving whale stocks, the principle of carry-over might not be
objectionable.
On the other hand, if the quotas were higher than the optimum catch level, as
is thought to be the case at present, the effect of carrying over any residue
would be undesirable.
In considering the proposal from all aspects, the Technical Committee
concluded that there was a preponderance of arguments against it and
unanimously recommended that, in the present circumstances, the Commission
should oppose any carry-over of uncaught balances from one year to the next.
The Commission endorsed this recommendation.
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