12. North Pacific Whale Stocks

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


Some progress was reported in the deliberations of the group of North Pacific Commissioners towards the regulation of whaling in the North Pacific. No further recommendations were made for the restriction of catches or season in the North Pacific. The Technical Committee endorsed the North Pacific Commissioners' recommendation that the taking of humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean should be prohibited for three more years. On a proposal by the Chairman of the Technical Committee, seconded by the Commissioners for Argentina, Japan and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Commission agreed unanimously to amend paragraph 6(4) of the Schedule to read as follows:

"It is forbidden to kill or attempt to kill humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean and its dependent waters north of the equator for three years beginning with the 1968 season".

It was also agreed unanimously on the proposal of the Chairman of the Technical Committee, seconded by the Commissioners for Canada and Japan, to amend paragraphs 9(a) and 9(b) of the Schedule by the substitution of "1st April 1968" for "1st April 1965".


13. The Commissioner for Canada said that while agreeing that the three-year ban on the killing of humpback whales was absolutely essential, he wished to express Canadian disappointment at the necessity for it. The increased catches species by species each year in the North Pacific led to the successive closure of the area for the catching of the particular species. He drew the attention of Commissioners to the possibility that all member nations may have to look seriously at the North Pacific problem with a view to taking action to restrict operations in the area before it is necessary to exclude the catching of all species.

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