(from "Chairman's Report of the Thirtieth Annual Meeting")

The Commission accepted the following recommendations endorsed by the Technical Committee:

(1)

A systematic investigation and evaluation of the efficiency of present methods of killing whales is needed, in particular observations by suitably qualified veterinarians and other personnel of the rapidity of unconsciousness and death and of the nature of the injuries caused. Such observations should cover examples of at least one pelagic or coastal operation for large whales and one small-type whaling operation.

(2)

Following these field observations, and depending on the nature of the conclusions reached, a report-back meeting should be held between the research personnel and the IWC representatives to decide on future action.

(3)

Further research by qualified personnel into electrical, pharmacological and explosive methods should be urged on whaling nations in an effort to achieve the most humane methods of killing whales as quickly as possible.

(4)

In order to compare results from different fisheries, standard criteria for unconsciousness and death should be formulated.

(5)

The information requested in 1977 should continue to be collected and forwarded to the Secretary for analysis.

Canada indicated that Professor H.C. Rowsell, an experienced veterinarian familiar with marine mammals, is willing to undertake items 1, 2 and 4 this year. Iceland offered the necessary facilities for the research. The Commission agreed to allocate necessary funds from the $10,000 given by Canada to the IWC Research Fund for this programme.

In the Technical Committee the USA had proposed that a new paragraph in the 'Information Required' section of the Schedule should be added after the present paragraph 23 to require the reporting of information on the number of harpoons used to kill each whale and the number of whales struck but lost. This was adopted by the Committee for recommendation to the Commission, noting that Denmark would find it very difficult to fulfill in its small-type whaling operations.

In the Commission Denmark pointed out that last year the Scientific Committee had thought that the requirement to record the number of harpoons used to kill each whale might be counter-productive by encouraging gunners to use less harpoons and finish off the animal by other means. The USA, seconded by Iceland, therefore amended the proposal to read:

The paragraph with this amendment was adopted by the Commission.

The Commission also adopted a resolution on reporting data relative to humane killing (Appendix 4).

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