18. Infractions
(from "Chairman's Report of the Twenty-Third Meeting")
The infractions of the Convention as reported by the whaling countries were
considered by a sub-committee appointed by the Technical Committee.
It reported a slight decrease in the figures representing infractions expressed
as a percentage of the total catch for Antarctic operations as compared with
the figures for the previous year although they were not as low as those for
1968/69.
Outside the Antarctic the pattern of infractions was much the same.
It noted that the established pattern of sperm whale infractions being
significantly greater than baleen whale infractions held true again.
A suggested explanation of this was that with the comparatively large numbers
of male and female animals encountered together north of the Antarctic, it is
extremely difficult to estimate the lengths of the animals within a foot or
two when they are being exploited in large pods.
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