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WWF and IWC – The 40-year struggle to reign in an industry

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WWF and IWC – The 40-year struggle to reign in an industry

Several nations first met throughout the 1930s to attempt to reign in the whaling industry as it became clear that many species of whales were being hunted close to extinction because of large-scale uncontrolled commercial whaling.

Finally, in 1948 the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) was adopted and the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established as its decision-making body, originally with 14 member states.

Today, the IWC has 85 member states, including whaling countries, ex-whaling countries, and countries that have never had whaling industries but joined either to have a voice in the conservation of whales or to support whaling interests.

The IWC meets annually and adopts regulations on catch limits, whaling methods and protected areas, on the basis of a three-quarters majority vote. In recent years the IWC, recognizing new threats to whales, has moved towards a broader conservation agenda for whales which includes incidental catches in fishing gear (bycatch) and concerns about climate change.

"Aboriginal subsistence" whaling
Whale hunting by indigenous people, called "aboriginal subsistence" whaling, is subject to different IWC controls than those on commercial whaling.

WWF has been active in the IWC since 1961, almost immediately after the global conservation organization was founded. WWF helped spread the 'Save the whales' campaigns around the world, promoting calls for whale sanctuaries and a moratorium on commercial whaling (most notably by the UN Conference on the Human Environment in 1972).

The following is a condensed history of the IWC:

1925 League of Nations recognises over exploitation of whales
1930 Bureau of International Whaling Statistics set up
1931 First international regulatory agreement
Bowhead whale protected
1935 Northern & Southern Right whale protected
1937 Gray whale protected
1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling agreed
1949 International Whaling Commission established
1961 Highest known number of whales killed (66 000)
1963 Humpback whales protected in Southern Hemisphere
1967 Blue whales protected in Southern Hemisphere
1979 Indian Ocean Sanctuary established
Moratorium on factory ship whaling (except for Minkes)
Sei whales protected (some exceptions)
1981 Sperm whales protected (some exceptions)
1982 IWC moratorium on commercial whaling agreed
1986 IWC moratorium on commercial whaling comes into force
1987/8 Japan begins scientific whaling
1989 Lowest known number of whales hunted (326)
1992 North Atlantic Marine Mammals Commission (NAMMCO) established
1993 Norway resumes commercial whaling under objection to the moratorium
1994 Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary established
RMP approved
1997 Numbers of Minke whales killed for commercial and "scientific" purposes by Japan and Norway increase to over 1,000 animals.
2000 Japan extends its scientific whaling to include Bryde's and sperm whales as well as Northern and Southern Minkes.
2001 Norway announces the resumption of international trade in whale meat and blubber (although this does not take place)
2002 Japan extends its scientific whaling to include endangered Sei whales.
(October) Iceland succeeds in rejoining IWC with a reservation to the moratorium, valid after 2006.
2003 Iceland begins "scientific whaling" on Minke whales
2004 Resolution approved to begin formal RMS talks
2005 Japan announces they will double their take of Minke whales to 850, and take 10 fin whales in 2005-6, and then increase to 50 fin whales and 50 humpback whales from 2007 as part of their "scientific whaling" programme
2006 At the 59th meeting of the IWC in St. Kitts and Nevis, the pro-whaling block gains the simple majority for the first time in the history of the IWC, and use it to pass a resolution stating that the commercial whaling moratorium is ‘unnecessary', that whales are a threat to food security due to the fact that they consume fish, and declaring a commitment to ‘normalizing' the functions of the IWC.
2006 Iceland begins commercial whaling under objection, issuing quotas for 30 Minke whales and 9 fin whales, in addition to the whales taken under its "scientific whaling" programme.
2007 Iceland kills seven fin whales and one Minke whale in the 2006-7 season,
Japan plans to hunt 50 humpback whales under their scientific whaling programme, but delays their final decision until the 2008 IWC meeting
2008 Formal meetings on the ‘Future of the IWC' are held
2009 Several meetings of the Small Working Group tasked with finding and end to the impasse of the IWC are held but no compromise is reached.

Facts and figures about the three whaling nations

Japan has killed 8,715 Minke whales in the Antarctic for "scientific purposes" since the moratorium in 1986. A total of 840 whales were killed by Japan under special permit during the 31 years before the moratorium. (info from IWC 58 Workshop document on Fin Whales WKM-AWI8 submitted by the Government of New Zealand)
Japan took a total of 912 whales in 2007/08 season, (651 Southern Hemisphere Minke whales, 108 North Pacific Minke whales, 50 North Pacific Brydes whales, 100 North Pacific Sei whales, 3 North Pacific sperm whales.) (info from IWC website) The 2005/06 season was the first time Japan had taken fin whales, an endangered species.
In 2007/08 Iceland took 39 Minke whales under special permit for "scientific whaling." (info from IWC website) Iceland announced in January 2009 announced a dramatic increase in its whale quotas for the next five years saying it would catch 100 Minke whales, 150 endangered fin whales. In the 2007-08 season, Iceland took an additional 6 Minke whales under its commercial whaling programme.
Norway broke the moratorium in 1993 and resumed commercial whaling. Since then they have taken over 7,467 Minke whales under objection.
Norway took 597 Minke whales under its commercial whaling programme in the 2007/08 season.

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