14. North Pacific Whale Stocks
(from "Chairman's Report of the Sixteenth Meeting")
The Report of the Scientific Committee stressed the threat to the North Pacific
whale stocks of the present and impending scale of whaling in that area and
proposed that a group of experts in population dynamics should meet annually
as soon as possible after each North Pacific season to review the current
stock situation.
The Commission accepted the proposal and asked the Commissioners for Canada,
Japan, the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in view
of the concern felt at the situation by the Scientific Committee, to meet
during the Sixteenth Session and see if any regulatory steps could be taken in
this area.
However, no agreement could be obtained for action during the current season
but it was decided that there was a need to hold another meeting as early as
possible before the next meeting of the Commission for further consideration
of this matter.
The Commissioners for Canada and the United States, however, considered that
their attendance would depend on whether the catch during the present season
would make it appear worthwhile to have the meeting.
The holding of the proposed meeting was therefore left for decision by the
countries concerned.
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