18. Catch Limits in the North Pacific Ocean

(from "Chairman's Report of the Twenty-Fourth Meeting")


Fin Whales
The Scientific Committee reported that the best estimate of the present sustainable yield was about 900-1,000 fin whales. The Technical Committee by majority vote recommended that the catch limit for the 1973 season should be 700 whales. The Chairman of the Technical Committee moved and the Japanese delegation seconded the adoption of the Committee's recommendation. Eight delegations voted in favour of the motion and four against with two abstentions, which was insufficient majority to carry the motion. A motion by the United States delegation seconded by the Mexican delegation that the limit should be 500 fin whales was also rejected, five delegations voting in favour and five against. In moving that the limit should be 650 whales, the Commissioner for the USSR said that the Soviet delegation would propose measures for a further reduction in the 1974 season. The motion was seconded by the Japanese delegation and accepted by the Commission, eight delegations voting in favour and two against with four abstentions.


Sei Whales
The Scientific Committee estimated the present sustainable yield to be 3,200 whales and the Technical Committee recommended a catch limit of 3,000 sei and Bryde's whales combined. The Commission accepted this recommendation unanimously. The present provision in the Schedule which allows until the end of 1972 the limit of one species to be exceeded by 10 per cent provided there is an appropriate reduction in the catch of the other species was deleted.


Sperm Whales
The Scientific Committee recommended that the catch of male sperm whales should be held at not more than 6,000 and a safe catch limit for females, the catch of which might later be permitted to increase by a modest amount, would be 4,000. The Commission accepted the Technical Committee's recommendation that the catch limit for sperm whales in the North Pacific Ocean for 1973 should be set at these figures.


To provide for these catch limits the Schedule was amended as follows:

Paragraph 8(f) renumbered 8(e), "Subject to sub-paragraph (h)" and "1,046 whales in 1972" deleted and "650 whales in 1973" added.
Paragraph 8(g) renumbered 8(f), "Subject to sub-paragraph h" and "3,768 whales in 1972" and the second sentence deleted and "3,000 whales in 1973" added.
Paragraph 8(h) deleted.
Paragraph 8(i) renumbered 8(g), "10,841 whales in 1972" deleted and "6,000 male and 4,000 female sperm whales in 1973" added.

_