10. Protection of the Blue Whale

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


Total protection of the blue whale in the North Atlantic was continued for a further five years. On a proposal by the Norwegian Commissioner and seconded by the Canadian Commissioner, it was agreed by 13 votes to none against and 1 abstention to substitute in Paragraph 4(1) of the Schedule, "20th February, 1970" for "20th February, 1965" as the date for the ending of the period of protection.

In order to give complete protection to the blue whale in the Antarctic it was proposed by the Commissioner for the United Kingdom and seconded by the Commissioner for Norway that Paragraph 6(3) of the Commission's Schedule should read:

"It is forbidden to kill or attempt to kill blue whales in the waters south of 40° South Latitude".

An amendment which further modified Paragraph 6(3) of the Schedule was proposed by the Commissioner for Japan and seconded by the Commissioner for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. This read as follows:

"It is forbidden to kill or attempt to kill blue whales in the waters south of 40° South Latitude except in the waters north of 55° South Latitude from 30° East Longitude eastwards to 80° East Longitude".

The delegates for Japan believed that there was no risk of taking the ordinary blue whale in this area and that only the pygmy blue whale would be caught. On being put to the vote the amendment was lost, there being 12 against and 2 in favour. The substantive motion was then carried, 12 votes being in favour and 2 against.

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