Natural Resources: The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling Nicky Grandy, Secretary to the International Whaling Commission

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Natural Resources The International Convention
for the Regulation of WhalingNicky Grandy,
Secretary to the International Whaling Commission
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Outline

• Background
• Events leading to the Convention
• IWC role of science, activities
• Interactions and co-operation with others
• Current future challenges
• For IWC relevance to other regimes?
• More generally

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Development of whaling

• Goes back thousands of years
• Industrial whaling began 12th century
• small boats (sail/oar)
• hand harpoons lances
• Modern whaling from 1860s
• technological developments (explosive grenade
  harpoon, powered catcher boats)
• massive expansion of the industry

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Antarctic Expansion

• 1930/31 41 factory ships, 37,000 whales

1913 6 stations, 21 factories, 10,716 whales
1904 1 station, 195 whales
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International management

• 1930s
• Production agreements
• League of Nations
• 1946 Washington Conference
• International Convention for the Regulation of
  Whaling (ICRW)

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Signed 63 years ago today
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The Convention

• to provide for the proper conservation of whale
  stocks and thus make possible the orderly
  development of the whaling industry
• Regulations to be ...based on scientific
  findings

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Among other things, the Convention

• Applies to whaling operations in all waters
• Establishes the Commission
• Includes the rules governing the conduct of
  whaling (the Schedule)
• Lays down rules for decision-making
• Provides for research under special permit
• Allows governments to object to decisions in
  relation to the Schedule
• Allows the Commission to make recommendations to
  any or all members on any matters relating to
  whales/whaling

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What it doesnt cover

• Doesnt allow the setting of national quotas
• No dispute settlement mechanism
• Is silent on reservations

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• But despite the 1946 Convention, whale stocks
  continued to decline
• And led to
• A moratorium on commercial whaling that took
  effect from 1986 and is still in place

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Some whaling continues

• Some under IWC control
• Aboriginal subsistence whaling
• Some outside IWC control
• Commercial whaling under objection or
  reservation
• scientific whaling

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Trend in membership
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Differing views/attitudes/policies

• 10 members in 1948 all whaling nations
• 88 members today
• only 7 taking large whales
• all agree on importance of conservation value
  of best scientific advice
• but different views on acceptability of killing
  whales
• Polarised organisation
• IWC a resource management organisation or MEA?

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Science and the IWC

• Scientific Committee
• Key to the work of the Commission
• Established 1950
• A recognised authority on cetaceans
• gt 200 scientists
• Meets annually intersessional workshops
• Wide range issues

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Topics/issues addressed
Stock assessment Management procedures Setting catch limits Indirect takes Ecosystem modelling Sanctuaries Reviewing special permit whaling Endangered species/ conservation manage-ment plans Small cetaceans Whalewatching Environmental concerns Chemical pollution Climate change Ship strikes Noise Diseases Animal welfare
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Interaction co-operation

• Significant interaction/co-operation with some 10
  IGOs
• Specified in Convention text (CCAMLR)
• Formal Agreements (CMS, IMO)
• Resolutions (CITES)
• just do it (IUCN, RFMOs)
• Mutual observers, common scientists, joint
  activities, Secretariat-to-Secretariat
• Meaningful co-operation can be a challenge

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A few examples

• Ecosystem modelling
• Monitoring, control surveillance
• Noise
• Sanctuaries

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Ecosystem modelling

• Work in early stages
• very challenging
• IWC initial work on use of ecosystem models to
  explore potential impact of cetaceans on fishery
  yields
• Currently no single approach can be recommended
  to provide reliable information of value
• Co-operation with CCAMLR regarding Antarctic
  marine ecosystem models
• Joint workshop, August 2008

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Monitoring, control surveillance

• Regulations obeyed and seen to be obeyed
• Work on new scheme (RMS) for IWC currently on
  hold
• But was taking account of schemes in RFMOs
• CCAMLR held up as best practice

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Anthropogenic noise

• Sound of great importance to cetaceans
• Use for communication, echolocation
• But general concern on marine life
• Cleary an issue requiring co-operation and
  co-ordination
• mitigation
• joined new IMO initiative on minimising noise
  from commercial shipping
• research
• Some co-operation with SCAR

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Sanctuaries
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Current challenges - IWC

• To find a consensus solution to issues that have
  polarised debates to enable IWC to fulfil its
  mandate for the conservation of whale stocks and
  the management of whaling

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Finding a solution

• Initiatives in late 1990s and mid 2000
  unsuccessful
• Latest ongoing initiative started in 2007
• against background of non-IWC initiatives
• belief that the status quo no longer acceptable
• Focused on procedural issues ways to improve
  negotiations before moving on to substantive
  issues

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Procedures practices

• 3-day intersessional Annual Meeting in 2008
• Brought in outside experts
• Positive outcome
• commitment to consensus decisions and no
  surprise culture
• Recognition of need for open closed sessions
  and miniaturisation
• New working languages
• Greater participation by NGOs

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Addressing substantive matters

• Recognition that solution lies in a package of
  measures involving compromise on all sides
• Began in 2008 by identifying issues of importance
  to members
• Hoped to have package(s) proposal for
  decision-making this year
• Discussions not finished and work extended for
  further year, i.e. until June 2010

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More general challenges

• Capacity-building
• At the scientific level in particular
• Effective interaction, co-operation and
  co-ordination