International Whaling Commission facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
International Whaling Commission

Formation	2 December 1946; 78 years ago (1946-12-02)
Type	Specialised regional fishery management organization
Legal status	International organization
Purpose	"provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry"
Headquarters	Impington, United Kingdom
Membership (2020)	88 nations
Executive Secretary	Rebecca Lent

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is an important international group. It was created in 1946 by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). Its main goal is to protect whale populations. It also aims to manage whaling so it can be done in an organized way.

The IWC makes decisions about whaling rules worldwide. These rules are part of the "Schedule to the Convention." They include protecting certain whale species completely. They also set up special areas called whale sanctuaries. The IWC limits the number and size of whales that can be caught. It also sets rules for when and where whaling can happen. Catching baby whales or mothers with calves is forbidden. The IWC also collects reports and records about whales. It supports whale research and publishes scientific findings.

In 2018, the IWC members made the "Florianópolis Declaration." They agreed that their main purpose is to conserve whales forever. They want all whale populations to recover to their levels before industrial whaling. After this, Japan announced it would leave the IWC in December 2018. Japan said the IWC was not promoting sustainable hunting, which was one of its original goals. Japan planned to restart commercial whaling in its own waters from July 2019. However, it would stop whaling in the Southern Hemisphere.

How the IWC Works and Who Belongs

Member states of the International Whaling Commission (in blue)

The IWC was formed by countries agreeing to work together. It is the main group that makes decisions under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. This agreement was signed in 1946. Its purpose is to protect whales and allow whaling to develop in an orderly way. The IWC regularly checks and updates its rules. These rules control whaling by protecting some species. They also create whale sanctuaries. The IWC sets limits on how many whales can be caught and their size. It also decides when and where whaling can happen. The rules cover whaling methods and equipment. The IWC must base its rules on scientific findings.

The IWC's main office is in Impington, near Cambridge, England. The IWC office publishes research journals and reports. It also shares press releases and meeting schedules. The commission has three main groups: Scientific, Conservation, and Finance and Administration. There used to be a Technical Committee, but it no longer meets.

Countries don't have to be involved in whaling to join the IWC. The number of IWC members has doubled since 2001. As of February 2024, there are 88 member countries. These include countries from all over the world.

Since 2012, the IWC has held its main meetings every two years. These meetings happen in September or October. Each member country sends one voting representative, called a Commissioner. They can bring experts and advisors with them. These meetings are often very divided. There are strong disagreements between countries that support whaling and those that oppose it. Other groups, like non-member countries and environmental organizations, can also attend as observers.

The Scientific Committee still meets every year. When both meetings happen in the same year, there is a gap of at least 100 days between them. This gives everyone time to read the Scientific Committee's reports. This way, they are ready for the main Commission Meeting.

Past IWC Meetings

The International Whaling Commission members have met every year since 1949. They also hold special meetings sometimes. In recent years, these meetings have gained a lot of media attention. This is because the movement to protect whales has grown.

The 1982 Whaling Ban

The 1970s saw the start of a worldwide movement to protect whales. In 1972, a United Nations conference suggested a ten-year ban on commercial whaling. This ban would allow whale populations to recover. Reports from other groups also showed many whale species were in danger.

At the same time, more countries that did not whale, or were against it, joined the IWC. These countries eventually became the majority. Some nations that used to be major whaling powers, like the United States, started strongly supporting whale protection. These countries asked the IWC to change its rules. They wanted the IWC to use new scientific information about whales.

On July 23, 1982, IWC members voted to put a pause on commercial whaling. The vote passed with the needed three-quarters majority. The rule said that catching whales for commercial purposes would be zero from 1986 onwards. This rule would be reviewed based on scientific advice. By 1990, the IWC would check how this decision affected whale populations. They would then consider changing the rule or setting new catch limits.

The measure passed with 25 votes for, seven against, and five countries not voting. Japan, Norway, Peru, and the Soviet Union (now Russia) formally disagreed with the ban. They said it was not based on advice from the Scientific Committee. Japan and Peru later dropped their objections. Japan's decision came after the US threatened to reduce its fishing rights in US waters. In 2002, Iceland rejoined the IWC. It had a special condition about the ban, but many IWC members do not accept this condition.

The ban only applies to commercial whaling. Whaling for scientific research or by indigenous communities is still allowed. However, environmental groups argue that some research whaling is just a way to continue commercial whaling. Since 1994, Norway has been whaling commercially. Iceland started commercial hunting in September 2006. Japan has been whaling for scientific research since 1986. The US and some other nations whale for aboriginal subsistence. Norway disagreed with the zero catch limits in 1992, so it is not bound by them. Groups against whaling accuse Japan's scientific whaling of being a cover for commercial whaling. The Japanese government says that IWC rules allow whale meat from scientific whaling to be used.

In May 1994, the IWC also voted to create the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. This sanctuary covers a huge area of about 11,800,000-square-mile (31,000,000 km²). The vote to create the sanctuary passed with 23 votes for, one against (Japan), and six countries not voting.

The 2018 Florianópolis Declaration

On September 13, 2018, IWC members met in Florianópolis, Brazil. They discussed and rejected Japan's idea to restart commercial whaling. In the "Florianópolis Declaration," members agreed that the IWC's goal is to protect whales. They decided to safeguard these marine mammals forever. They also want all whale populations to recover to their levels before industrial whaling. The declaration also stated that deadly research methods are not needed. Forty countries supported this agreement, while 27 pro-whaling countries voted against it. Under this agreement, limited hunts by some indigenous communities are still allowed.

On December 26, 2018, Japan announced it was leaving the IWC. Japan stated that the IWC had failed to promote sustainable hunting. Japanese officials said they would restart commercial hunting in their own waters from July 2019. This includes their 200-mile exclusive economic zone. However, Japan would stop whaling in the Antarctic Ocean and the Australian Whale Sanctuary.

IWC Rules and How They Are Enforced

The IWC is a voluntary international group. It is not backed by a strict treaty. This means it has some limits on its power. First, any member country can simply leave the organization. If they leave, they are no longer bound by its rules. Second, a member country can choose not to follow a specific IWC rule. They can do this by formally disagreeing with it within 90 days. This is common in international agreements. It is better for countries to stay in the agreement than to leave completely. Third, the IWC cannot punish countries that do not follow its decisions.

International Observer Scheme

In 1971, Australia and South Africa agreed to send observers to each other's whaling stations. This was called the International Observer Scheme (IOS). It helped ensure their land-based whaling stations followed IWC rules. Similar agreements were made for the North Atlantic and North Pacific areas. The IOS helped improve the quality of reported whale catch data. This suggests that false reporting might have happened before the IOS was put in place.

Politics and the IWC

There is concern that the IWC is under strain. This is due to the conflict between those who want to resume whaling and those who want to protect all whales. Experts say that changes to the IWC's current system are necessary. They believe that whale hunting for human use will continue. It will happen either within a new international whaling system or through other agreements. Some conservationists argue that the IWC should focus more on other threats to whales. These threats include ships hitting whales, pollution, and climate change. However, they say the whaling debate must be resolved first.

Accusations of Politics in Science

Countries that support whaling accuse the IWC of making decisions based on "political and emotional" reasons. They say these decisions are not based on scientific knowledge. The IWC bans all whaling, even though its own Scientific Committee has said since 1991 that some whale species could be hunted sustainably. These countries argue that the IWC has changed its original purpose. They believe it is now trying to completely protect whales from being killed for commercial reasons.

Non-IWC whaling nations have similar feelings. Canada left the IWC after the vote to ban whaling. It claimed the ban went against rules that allowed safe levels of hunting.

After the ban started in 1986, the Scientific Committee reviewed whale populations. They also developed a way to calculate safe catch limits. In 1991, the Scientific Committee reported that there were many minke whales. For example, about 761,000 in Antarctic waters. They suggested that 2,000 minke whales could be caught each year without harming the population. Despite this, the IWC decided to keep the ban on whaling. They argued that the formulas for setting catch limits had not been fully checked yet.

In 1991, the IWC adopted a computer formula called the Revised Management Procedure (RMP). This formula helps determine how many whales can be caught. Even though the RMP showed that some catches could be allowed, the ban was not lifted. The IWC said they needed to agree on data standards. They also needed guidelines for whale surveys and a system for monitoring and inspection.

The IWC adopted the RMP in 1994. However, they decided not to use it until an inspection and control system was ready. This system, along with the RMP, is called the Revised Management Scheme (RMS). Since then, member countries have found it very hard to agree on an RMS. Australia is the only IWC member that officially opposes any RMS. Therefore, it does not join in these discussions. Anti-whaling groups like Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace are also generally against the RMS.

Ray Gambell, who was the IWC Secretary, agreed with some of the pro-whaling arguments. He said that a commercial catch of minke whales could be taken without endangering them. In June 1993, the Chairman of the Scientific Committee, Dr. Philip Hammond, resigned. He did this to protest what he saw as a disregard for the Scientific Committee's advice. That same year, Norway became the only country to restart commercial whaling. They did this because they had objected to the ban and were not bound by it.

IWC Membership and Influence

An adult and sub-adult Minke whale are dragged aboard the Nisshin Maru, a Japanese whaling vessel.

The IWC's purpose is to protect whale populations for future generations. Originally, only 15 whaling nations were members. However, since the late 1970s, many countries with no history of whaling have joined. Some of these are even landlocked, like Switzerland and Mongolia. This change was started by Peter Scott, who led the World Wide Fund for Nature. He called the IWC a "butchers' club." He campaigned to change the IWC's membership. This helped get enough votes to pass the commercial whaling ban in 1986. This campaign led to the first accusations of "vote-buying" in the IWC.

After the ban, support for it dropped from 75% to about 50%. Many countries that first joined to oppose whaling now vote with the pro-whaling group. (A 75% majority is needed to overturn the ban.) Anti-whaling groups and some governments claim that Japan has been "buying votes." They say Japan offers aid to poorer countries if they join the IWC and support Japan's views on whaling. Japan, however, says this accusation is politically motivated. Japan gives aid to many countries, not just those that support whaling.

For example, Japan has given aid to several Caribbean countries. These countries have consistently supported Japan in IWC votes since 2001. They say the rules might affect their fishing activities too. Pacific countries' votes can change. They are lobbied by pro-whaling Japan and anti-whaling New Zealand and Australia. Greenpeace claims there is a link between Japan's aid and these countries' voting patterns.

Both sides accuse each other of using unfair methods to get more countries to join. Edwin Snagg, an IWC commissioner, said that smaller, less developed countries feel disrespected. He said they feel others think they can be easily bought. The BBC reported that some new European Union countries were told it would be "a good idea" to join the IWC. In Australia, news reported that New Zealand was questioning pro-whaling support among Pacific Island states.

More countries are expected to join the IWC in the future, including some landlocked ones. Currently, nine landlocked countries are IWC members. Mali and Mongolia vote with pro-whaling countries. Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Switzerland, and San Marino vote with anti-whaling countries.

Both pro- and anti-whaling countries say their efforts are just about lobbying and convincing others. Anti-whaling groups argue that scientific studies are not clear enough to restart commercial whaling. They also say there are other issues, like whale welfare, that are important. Pro-whaling countries argue that the public's anti-whaling views are often based on wrong information. For example, many people wrongly believe all whale species are endangered.

Coastal countries also have an interest in protecting their fish stocks. They claim whales might threaten these stocks. Japan argues that the anti-whaling side is using conservation as a cover for its opposition to whaling. They say this threatens the principle of sustainable management of natural resources.

At the 2001 IWC meeting in London, New Zealand accused Japan of buying votes. The Japanese delegate denied this. He said Japan gives aid to over 150 nations, including strong anti-whaling ones. He argued that if Japan were buying votes, the ban would have been lifted years ago. He also said Caribbean countries naturally support pro-whaling views because they are whaling countries themselves.

Anti-whaling groups point to other statements. Dominica's former Environment Minister said Japan makes it clear that if countries don't vote for them, aid might be reconsidered. Greenpeace also quoted a Tongan politician saying Japan linked whale votes to aid. Lester Bird, former prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said he would support Japan if it meant his country received assistance, as long as whales were not endangered.

Japanese whaling since 1985. The catch in 1985, 1986, and about half of 1987 were "under objection"; the rest are "scientific permit".

In a 2001 interview, a Japanese official called minke whales "cockroaches of the sea." He also said that without military power, Japan had to use diplomacy and aid promises to get support for its whaling position. Billions of yen have gone to countries that joined the IWC from both sides.

In Japan, some media outlets argue that countries against commercial whaling should not be in the IWC. They say the anti-whaling side has twisted the IWC's purpose. They also point out that the anti-whaling lobby is led by wealthy nations. They too could be accused of buying votes. They accuse the anti-whaling side of using conservation as a cover for their opposition to whaling. Since 2000, 29 new countries have joined the IWC. Of these, 18 are pro-whaling and 11 are anti-whaling. Japan notes that major anti-whaling nations like the U.S., Australia, and the UK also give aid to poor IWC countries. They have more influence than Japan alone.

Japan wants secret ballot voting at IWC meetings. This would make it harder to accuse Japan of vote-buying. It would also reduce the influence of the anti-whaling lobby. Anti-whaling nations oppose secret ballots. They say it is not common in other international groups. They also say it would remove accountability and make secret deals more likely. However, some argue that it is unfair for anti-whaling countries to demand open voting in the IWC when they use secret ballots in other similar groups.

The Role of the United States

The United States has often acted on its own to support IWC decisions. This has made IWC decisions more effective, especially for smaller whaling states. Pro-whaling nations often see the U.S. actions as "bullying." Environmentalists, however, often praise the U.S. approach.

The U.S. first put IWC rules into its own law in 1971. This law allowed the U.S. President to ban fishing imports from countries that harmed international fishing conservation programs. The U.S. has threatened these bans many times. For example, in 1974, U.S. pressure helped Japan and the Soviet Union follow whaling limits. In 1978, Chile, South Korea, and Peru joined the IWC after U.S. threats. Spain also followed a whale quota after U.S. pressure.

These measures were made stronger in 1979. A new law said that if a country harmed the IWC's work, the U.S. must cut that country's fishing rights in U.S. waters by at least 50%. In 1980, these threats led South Korea to follow IWC rules on harpoons. Taiwan also banned whaling completely in 1981 due to similar pressure. Without U.S. support, the 1986 whaling ban might not have been as strong. Countries like Iceland, Japan, and Norway might have continued commercial whaling.

The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission

Norwegian minke whale quotas (blue line, 1994–2006) and catches (red line, 1946–2005)

The ban on commercial whaling led Iceland to leave the IWC in protest. Japan and Norway also threatened to leave. In April 1992, the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) was created. It was formed by the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, and Norway. This group was formed because they were unhappy with the IWC's zero-catch rule. NAMMCO does not directly go against IWC rules for its members. However, it does challenge the IWC's authority.

See also

• Institute of Cetacean Research (Japan)
• Whaling in Australia
• Whaling in Iceland
• Whaling in Japan
• Whaling in Norway