12. Blue Whale and Humpback Whale Protection

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


The Scientific Committee had advised that the conservation requirement for the stocks of blue whales in the Antarctic was complete protection for a number of years. The Commission gave careful consideration to this proposal but considered that it would be undesirable to make any change at this meeting and that it would be better to wait until the special studies to be made by the Committee of Three Scientists were available.

At the Twelfth Meeting amendments to Paragraphs 6(2)(b), 6(3)(a) and (7a) of the Schedule had been made so as to shorten the blue whale season by advancing the opening date from the 1st to 14th February and in the case of humpbacks of shortening the season in Antarctic Area V from four to three days and prohibiting the taking of humpbacks altogether in Antarctic Area IV. These amendments had been objected to by Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The Commission noted that it had not yet been possible to obtain agreement on the withdrawal of these objections and decided to request the Antarctic pelagic whaling countries which have lodged objections to the blue whale and humpback amendments to reconsider their position.

The position of the Netherlands who had quite recently rejoined the Convention and was therefore too late to be able to give the 90 days' notice of objection to the blue whale and humpback amendments even if she wished to do so, was given special consideration. After a general discussion the Commissioner for Canada moved that "The Commission resolved at its Fourteenth Meeting to agree to permit the Netherlands Government to lodge, within 90 days of their re-accession to the Convention on 4th May, 1962, objections, if they so desired to the amendments on the blue whale season and on humpbacks made to Paragraphs 6(2)(b), 6(3)(a) and 7(a) of the Schedule of the Commission at the Twelfth Meeting". The resolution was seconded by the Commissioner for Japan and on being put to the vote was carried, there being twelve in favour and four abstentions.

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