15. ADHERENCE OF NON-MEMBER WHALING COUNTRIES

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


During the discussion of catch quotas in areas where non-member countries of the IWC take significant numbers of whales it was agreed that these whaling nations should be invited to join the Convention because their activities are weakening the Commission's conservation and management systems which are binding on member nations. The UNEP observer commented that his organisation had already approached non-member whaling nations and had now received negative replies. The Latin American States had their own organisation.

A small working group was set up, consisting of Canada (convening), Denmark, Iceland, UK and USA to review the whole matter of the adherence of non-member nations and the effects of their catches. In their report the group recommended the adoption of a resolution noting the situation in regard to a particular stock exploited in whole or in part by non-member nations and requested that the non-member states co-operate to avoid over-exploitation and join the Commission. The Commission adopted the resolution, amended to give the Chairman responsibility for transmission to non-member states and worded appropriately for each stock. The form of the resolution, using the North Atlantic sperm whale problem for illustration purposes, is given in Appendix 4. In addition to the North Pacific minke whale case, it was noted that an equivalent resolution might be adopted in the case of whale stocks or species in the Protected category which are exploited by non-member nations. It was also noted that it might be useful to have a resolution by the Commission requesting member states to prohibit the importation of whale products from non-member states which exploit whales in a manner inconsistent with the regulations of the Commission.

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