IWC Current Situation

Over recent decades, the IWC has taken some encouraging steps in changing its emphasis towards conserving and studying whales, most recently in 2003 with the establishment of a Conservation Committee.

Nearly 2000 whales killed each year despite moratorium

However, the whaling nations of Japan, Norway and Iceland retain politically influential whaling industries that wish to carry on whaling on as large a scale as possible. All 3 countries are exploiting loopholes in the Whaling Convention in order to kill nearly 2000 whales each year in spite of the IWC's moratorium on whaling.

Politics, not science

Norway hunts whales under its objection to the moratorium, and Japan has been whaling under the guise of "scientific research" (see WWF document "Irresponsible Science, Irresponsible Whaling"). Most recently, Iceland joined the IWC with a formal objection to the moratorium in 2002 and, although claiming they would not undertake commercial whaling before 2006, immediately began a “scientific whaling” program. It added to its scientific quota by commencing commercial whaling in 2006, aiming to take 30 minke whales and 9 fin whales each year. In the 2006/2007 season, just 7 fin whales and 1 minke whale were taken in the Icelandic commercial whale hunt, in addition to their scientific take of 60 minke whales.

No absolute majority

The current membership of the IWC is approximately evenly divided between whaling and non-whaling nations, resulting in a political deadlock which makes it impossible to secure the ¾ majority of votes needed to make major changes. All in all, whaling is taking place and increasing without any international control.

While the debate has raged over how best to manage commercial whaling, emerging threats to the future of all cetacean populations have begun to be addressed by the IWC, both within its Commission and its Scientific Committee.

Among the important conservation issues under consideration have been: conservation of “small” cetaceans; incidental catches in fishing gear (by-catch); climate change; whale watching; protection of highly endangered species and populations; whales and their environment (including toxic chemicals and other marine pollution); ecosystem management concerns; sanctuaries; enforcement and compliance; management of "scientific whaling"; and collaboration with other organizations.

These issues, of critical importance to the future of all cetaceans, now constitute a broad and growing, although controversial, conservation agenda within the IWC.

The IWC in the 21^st century

The IWC's mandate requires first and foremost that it prevent the return of uncontrolled large-scale commercial whaling. The 1946 ICRW, however, was negotiated at a time before the broad range of threats to cetaceans were understood or even recognised to exist - tied not only to an era which had little understanding of the complex web of marine issues facing all cetaceans, but also to a very different political era than the one in which it exists today.

Wide-ranging threats

In the more than 50 years since the Convention text was adopted, it has become impossible to separate the threats presented by commercial whaling from those of marine pollution, commercial by-catch, or over-fishing. It is far preferable, and of greater potential conservation to cetaceans, to now address all of the threats to cetacean populations in a broad, multilateral context, as the IWC has begun to do.

The ICRW is currently the only international instrument available to formally address all cetaceans and all threats to their continued existence. WWF believes the IWC must continue to expand its scope to address the other human activities which threaten cetaceans and focus action on ensuring the survival of the most threatened species.

In 2007 and 2008 the contracting governments of the IWC began to formally discuss the future of the IWC through an agenda item at the 59th meeting of the IWC in 2007, and an Intersessional meeting early in 2008. These discussions are critical to build a future for the IWC that allows it to truly deliver benefits for cetacean conservation.