11. SMALL CETACEANS

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


The Commission was informed that the copies of the printed Report of the Sub-Committee of the Scientific Committee on Small Cetaceans which was being published by the Fisheries Research Board or Canada would be available very shortly. The Commissioner for Canada reported that the cost of publication amounted to about 30,000 dollars towards which contributions of 5,000 dollars each had been received from Canada, Norway and the USA and 1,000 Australian dollars from Australia. The Commission agreed to contribute ,200 towards the cost of publication.

In its report the Scientific Committee made recommendations for future action. It recommended that the Commission considers initially the management of those small cetaceans which are taken in deliberate, direct fisheries. It listed the species taken in fisheries where the cetacean is the desired product and where there is a need for stock assessment. It recommended that all member nations report incidental kills of cetaceans taken in yellow fin purse seine operations as well as any other statistics for direct and indirect fisheries for small cetaceans. The sub-committee is to continue as a standing sub-committee of the Scientific Committee.

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