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

The International Whaling Commission, referring to Paragraph 1(a) of the Schedule according to which the Commission can appoint international observers on factory ships operating in Antarctic pelagic whaling; taking note of the expressed desire of the countries parties to the Agreement concerning an International Observer Scheme dated 28th October 1963 to conserve whale stocks and to maintain proper productivity of pelagic whaling by establishing such a scheme; reaffirming their views expressed at every session since the agreement came into force, supported by the F.A.O. that an International Observer Scheme should be implemented as quickly as possible; bearing in mind the fact that the international observers agreement expires after the 1965/66 season and fearing that such a scheme might never come into existence if not implemented in the coming season; strongly request the countries concerned to ensure the implementation of the International Observer Scheme in the 1965/66 season; invite each of the active pelagic whaling nations to give a firm assurance at the Seventeenth Session to the effect that they on their part will put the Scheme into operation in the 1965/66 season in accordance with the rules for the implementation of the International Observer Scheme agreed upon among the five countries concerned in Sandefjord on 26th June, 1964.

This resolution received the affirmative votes of all twelve Commissioners present. The Commissioner for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, however, explained that his vote in favour was made to give the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics the right to discuss the problem of the allocation of national quotas.

21. With regard to the assurances in the resolution invited from the active pelagic whaling nations, two were able to give these but the delegation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics stated that, while they were in favour of implementation of the scheme in the coming season, their assurance must be qualified by the reserve that both the quota of the whole catch and the International Observer Scheme should be extended to both factory ships and to all land stations catching Antarctic whales and that to implement the International Observer Scheme it would be necessary to solve on a just basis the problem of re-allocation of national quotas between the countries concerned. It was agreed that talks on these matters would be continued but no solution had been worked out by the end of the Commission's meeting.

22. Attention was then given to the relevance of an International Observer Scheme to land stations. In this connection the Commissioner for the United Kingdom proposed and the Commissioner for the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics seconded the following resolution:

The Commission considers that provisions comparable to those of the International Observer Scheme should be made in respect of land stations in the Southern Hemisphere and asks the special group which is to meet to bring into order the catching of whales at such land stations to study the matter and make recommendations to the Eighteenth Meeting of the Commission.

This resolution was carried; there being four in favour and eight abstentions.

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