10. Whale Stocks and Catch Limits

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


(i) Antarctic
Fin Whales
The Scientific Committee reported that it did not have a new estimate of the replacement yield for this stock. Last year the estimate was 3,200. It recalled the point it had made previously that fin whale stocks are about one-third to one-half of the level which would provide maximum sustainable yield and the lower the catch the faster rebuilding would occur. It advised particular care in setting the fin whale catch in Areas III and IV where there were signs of a sharp decline in stocks. In the Technical Committee an amendment to a proposal that the fin whale catch should be zero was carried which provided that the should be 1,000 to be allocated by areas on the basis recommended by the Scientific Committee. This was approved by the Commission. In setting limits for the individual areas the Commission allowed a margin for practical or operational difficulties but ruled that in no circumstances should the sum of the area catches exceed the total quota. This ruling was applied to all species for which area allocations were made.


Sei and Bryde's Whales
The Scientific Committee's replacement yield estimates was 5,200(*1). It expressed concern at the trends in certain areas and suggested that catch limits should be set conservatively. By a majority vote the Technical Committee recommended a catch limit of 4,500 with quotas set for the individual areas. This recommendation did not secure an adequate majority in the Commission and an alternative proposal setting the limit at 4,000 sei whales was accepted unanimously.


Minke Whales
The Scientific Committee was unable to reach any conclusion on stock size or maximum sustainable yield estimates for minke whales. It advised caution in setting the catch limit which should be allocated to areas. It suggested that an interim safe harvest would be no more than 5% of the exploitable population which would give a maximum safe quota of 7,000. The Commission accepted the Technical Committee's recommendation that the catch should be 7,000 distributed by areas.


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 repeated its recommendation of last year that catch limits by sex be established for nine divisions. As alternatives it proposed the distribution of the catches, limited to 8,000 males and 5,000 females, by quotas for the six Areas or for three major regions. The Commission accepted the Technical Committee's recommendation that the catch limits should be 8,000 males and 5,000 females distributed between three major regions based on the percentages recommended by the Scientific Committee as follows, the sum of the catches not to exceed the total limit:

Male Female
Areas II and III 60°W - 70°E 2,548 2,563
Areas IV and V 70°E - 170°W 2,730 2,188
Areas VI and I 170°W - 60°W 3,822 1,500

With reference to the catches taking place in Areas I and II, above latitudes 60°S, the Commissioner for Argentina urged that consideration should be given to the exclusive rights of the Argentina Republic for the performing of these activities within 200 miles of the Argentine maritime jurisdiction.


(iii) North Pacific
Fin Whales
The Scientific Committee reported that the replacement yield was about the same as last year - 750 to 900. It pointed out that the stock was well below maximum sustainable yield level, and the lower the catch is reduced below the replacement yield the faster re-building will occur. The Technical Committee decided to recommend on a majority vote a catch limit of 300, a reduction of 250 on the previous year. In the Commission, the Technical Committee's recommendation was adopted after an amendment providing for a zero limit was rejected.


Sei and Bryde's Whales
The Scientific Committee reported that the replacement yield was 2,500. Since the stock was less than half its unexploited level it urged the Commission to exercise caution in setting the catch limit. The majority recommendation of the Technical Committee was 2,000 a reduction of 1,000 on the previous year. In the Commission the Soviet Commissioner pointed out that a reduction of as much as 30% in the sei whale catch in one year would pose a serious problem for the industry and moved an amendment to set the limit at 2,400 sei and Bryde's whales. This was seconded but defeated and the Technical Committee's recommendation of 2,000 sei whales was adopted.


Sperm Whales
The Scientific Committee repeated its statement of previous years to the effect that the catch of male sperm whales would be held to not more than 6,000 and that a safe catch limit for females would be 4,000. The Commission adopted the Technical Committee's recommendation that the limits should again be set at these figures.


The Commission approved the amendments to paragraph 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 proposed by the Technical Committee to provide for the catch limits approved for the 1974/75 and 1975 seasons.



1. In the original report by the IWC, this figure is mistyped as "2,500".

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