14. HUMANE KILLING OF WHALES
(from "Chairman's Report of the Twenty-Seventh Meeting")
This subject was introduced by the United States Commissioner and referred for
the consideration of the Scientific Committee.
The matter had been raised because in the years since the Report of the IWC
Working Party 1960 there may have been new developments in anaesthetic or
other chemicals, or in explosives which may have an application in killing
whales, and also because it was necessary to have continuing information on
the efficiency of the explosive harpoon technique.
The Committee had available the conclusion of the Survival Service Commission
Whale Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of
Nature that the explosive harpoon technique when used by expert whaling
gunners was still the best available for killing large whales in as short a
time as possible.
In accepting this conclusion the Committee recommended that the Commission
should make enquiries about possible new developments in chemicals and
explosives suitable for killing whales and examine ways of improving the
efficiency of existing methods, including the killing of small whales where
explosive cannot be used, and the training of gunners.
This was accepted by the Commission on the recommendation of the Technical
Committee.
_