13. North Pacific Whale Stocks
(from "Chairman's Report of the Twenty-First Meeting")
The Technical Committee reported that agreement had been reached by the
Commissioners for the North Pacific countries on catch limits for the 1970
season for the pelagic fleets for fin, sei and sperm whales.
The catch limit for fin whales would be 1,332 whales and for sei whales 4,924
whales, in each case a 10% reduction on the 1969 limit.
The fin whale quota could be converted to sei whales and vice versa, in terms
of blue whale units, provided that the total catch of either species did not
exceed the 1969 quota for that species.
For sperm whales the limit would be 11,273 whales, a 10% reduction on the 1968
catch.
The whale catches of the land stations of Japan and the U.S.A. would not
exceed the levels established for 1969.
The Commissioners had also agreed that the countries would exert their best
efforts to put into effect observer schemes for both pelagic and land station
whaling.
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