15. INTERNATIONAL DECADE OF CETACEAN RESEARCH

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


15.1 Report of the Scientific Committee
The Scientific Committee reviewed the results of studies carried out last year. It was noted that the Decade ends this year. In the light of problems met in dealing with research proposals submitted, the Scientific Committee developed a procedure for assessing such proposals.

The Technical Committee agreed to this procedure which was then endorsed by the Commission.

The Scientific Committee decided that research proposals presented this year should not be considered until next year's meeting, but after considerable discussion it recommended that a further IDCR cruise should be undertaken in Antarctic Area IV. This will carry out a series of experiments related to sighting and no marking would be undertaken. A preliminary planning meeting concerned with sighting theory, and subsequent data validation, were also proposed.


FAO/UNEP Global Plan of Action
The UNEP's Governing Council has endorsed the Global Plan of Action on Marine Mammals and appeals inter alia to international organisations to make financial commitments to the Plan. The Scientific Committee believes that the Global Plan includes the most useful formulation of cetacean research needs available at the present time. The IDCR Programme has similar interests. The Scientific Committee noted that UNEP expects the IWC to take the lead role in implementing the cetacean component of the Plan.

The Scientific Committee therefore:

(1)
supports the Global Plan of Action as an appropriate framework for international action on large and small cetaceans;
(2)
has reviewed the research proposals before it at this year's meeting and other research needs identified by the various sub-committees in the framework of the Global Plan;
(3)
has initiated and is continuing to develop an appropriate mechanism whereby the initiative and immediacy of the IDCR concept can be integrated as a Second International Decade of Cetacean Research and a specific component of the Global Plan.

The Scientific Committee recommended that the Commission should make a firm commitment to the cetacean component of the Plan, endorse the action of the Scientific Committee outlined above and consider the financial implications of such report.

There was a general discussion in the Finance and Administration Committee of the matter and a statement from the UNEP observer indicating that a figure of about US $ 300,000 might be available for the cetacean part of the Plan.

Seychelles suggested that the proposed Antarctic sightings cruise might also be contributed to by UNEP funds, since it falls within the Global Plan concept.

The Technical Committee then accepted the recommendations of the Scientific Committee set out above, to which the Commission also gave its agreement.

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