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

Fin Whales
The Scientific Committee reported that it felt it would not be safe to depart from the estimates of sustainable yield in 1972, i.e. 3,200. The Committee emphasised that at present the fin whale stocks were about one-third to one-half of the level which would provide maximum sustainable yield. The Technical Committee approved, by seven votes to five with two abstentions, a proposal that the catch quota for fin whales should be zero. The adoption of this proposal was moved in the plenary session by the Chairman of the Technical Committee and seconded by Mexico and the Argentine. Seven countries voted in favour and five against with two abstentions, the necessary three-quarters majority was therefore not achieved. The Commissioner for Norway proposed that the catch quota for fin whales should be 1,450 with the rider that the two countries actually engaged in whaling in the Antarctic - Japan and the Soviet Union - should undertake to work towards further reductions in future years. This was seconded by the Commissioner for Japan. The Commissioner for the Soviet Union also seconded and said that should the proposal be adopted the Soviet Union would take every step possible to ensure that further reduction took place so that a complete cessation of fin whaling occurred by 1975/76. An amendment was moved by the United States and seconded by Canada and the Argentine which provided that the catch quota for fin whales in the Antarctic in 1973/74 be 1,450 and that the catch of fin whales cease at a date no more than three years from the date of the adoption of the motion. This was carried, seven countries voting in favour, two against with five abstaining

Sei Whales
The Scientific Committee agreed that the size of the sei whales stocks was in the vicinity of the level giving maximum sustainable yield. The Technical Committee's proposal that the catch quota should be 4,500 sei whales in 1973/74 was adopted by the Commission.

Minke Whales
Estimates of the maximum sustainable yield of minke whales were 5,000 and 12,230. The Scientific Committee stated that it had no sound basis for determining which of the estimates was the more accurate. It emphasised the importance of a conservative approach. The Technical Committee recommended a catch quota of 5,000 after a proposal that it should be 8,500 was rejected. In the plenary session, the Commissioner for Japan pointed out that the Scientific Committee's report agreed that there was a large surplus over and above the level that would give maximum sustainable yield and proposed that the catch should be 8,000. This was supported by the Soviet Union. On a vote being taken two countries voted in favour, eight against and four abstained. The Technical Committee's recommendation was adopted by a majority of fourteen to one. The Commissioner for the Soviet Union noting that the Japanese delegation had voted against the quota of 5,000 reserved its right to study the situation within the 90-day period and, if necessary, to reconsider its position.

Length of Antarctic Season
The Commission agreed that there should be no change in the opening and closing dates.

(ii) Southern Hemisphere - Sperm Whales
The Scientific Committee reported that because it was desirable to set catch quotas by stock units, it did not consider that a single quota for each sex should be set for the whole southern hemisphere and proposed that quotas for each sex should be apportioned between the nine divisions the Committee had recommended in 1972. The Committee recommended that if the Commission was unable to impose quotas by these divisions, the present total quotas for each sex should be spread over three major regions in a way which would bring together, as far as possible, those divisions in which the stocks were in similar condition, as follows:

The Technical Committee by a majority vote decided to recommend the adoption of the latter proposal. This was accepted by the Commission, ten Commissioners voting favour, two against and two abstaining, after an amendment moved by Japan with the object of deleting sub-divisions was rejected by eight votes to three with three abstentions. The Commissioner for the Soviet Union who seconded the amendment said that the USSR did not reject the principle of sub-division of the quota by areas but considered that it was necessary to study first the practical possibilities of adopting it. The Commissioner for the Argentine said that her delegation was not prepared to discuss at this meeting the subject of the division of the Antarctic into areas.

The Commission accepted by twelve votes to one with one abstention a recommendation by the Technical Committee to delete sub paragraph 6(5) of the Schedule forbidding the use of a factory ship for taking sperm whales in the waters between 40° South Latitude and 40° North Latitude.

(iii) North Pacific
Fin Whales
The Scientific Committee accepted an estimates of the replacement yield as 760-900 and the present population as 52-66 per cent of the maximum sustainable yield. The Commission accepted, by eight votes to five with one abstention, a majority recommendation of the Technical Committee that the catch quota should be 550 for 1974 a reduction of 100 on the 1973 quota.

Sei Whales
The Scientific Committee reported the estimate of the sei whale replacement yield as about 3,000 and the present population as close to or slightly above the maximum sustainable yield. The Commission accepted the Technical Committee's recommendation that no change should be made in the catch quota for 1974, viz, 3,000 sei and Bryde's whales combined.

Sperm Whales
The Scientific Committee adhered to its statement of last year that the catch of male sperm whales should be held to not more than 6,000 and that a safe catch limit for females would be 4,000. The Commission accepted the Technical Committee's recommendation that the catch quota in 1974 should remain at those figures.

Humpback Whales
The Commission decided to amend sub-paragraph 6(4) to continue indefinitely the ban on the taking of humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean.

(iv) North Atlantic
No recommendations for catch quotas were made by the Scientific Committee but it urged that in view of the large catches of minke whales in the North Atlantic an immediate study of the biology and population status of this species throughout the area should be undertaken. This was supported by the Technical Committee and accepted by the Commission.

(v) Arctic
The Scientific Committee considered the problem of the loss of whales in the United States aboriginal fishery. The Commission accepted the Committee's request that it should urge the United States to continue to study the problem and also to take steps to determine both the actual kill and the number of bowhead whales, as well as the status of this stock in relation to the maximum sustainable yield level.

The Commission approved the amendments to sub-paragraphs 8(a) (e) (f) (g) and (h) proposed by the Technical Committee to provide for the new catch quotas. It also approved the deletion of the words "except in the northeast Pacific area for a period of three years starting 1 April 1971" from sub-paragraphs 9(a) and 9(b).

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