International Whaling Commission - IWC

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is the global body charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling. The IWC was set up as the governing body under the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. The preamble to the Convention states its purpose is to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry.

In 1982, concerned about the serious decline of whale populations, the IWC adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling. While whaling and the consumption of whale meat and other products have slowed considerably, whaling still happens—either as Aboriginal subsistence whaling, scientific whaling, under official objection to the 1982 moratorium, or by non-IWC members. The Commission's role has expanded since its establishment. In addition to regulating whaling, the IWC addresses a wide range of conservation issues including bycatch and entanglement, ocean noise, pollution and debris, collision between whales and ships, and sustainable whale watching.

Events

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67th Meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC67)

The presence of aboriginal whale hunters at the meeting provided moving and compelling statements. Adoption of the amendment, which required a three-fourths majority, was viewed by many delegates as an example of the IWC’s ability to find a balance between the pro-whaling forces and those strongly opposed. Other IWC-67 decisions fell squarely along traditional divides. 
Event 10 September 2018 - 14 September 2018