Resolution 2000-5

Decisions Document Number
2000-5
Long Title
Resolution on Whaling under Special Permit In The North Pacific Ocean
Body

IWC Resolution 2000-5
Resolution on Whaling under Special Permit In The North Pacific Ocean
WHEREAS Paragraph 1 of Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
(Convention) provides that, notwithstanding anything contained in the Convention, any Contracting Government
may grant to any of its nationals a Special Permit (Special Permit) authorising that national to kill, take and treat
whales for the purposes of scientific research, subject to such other conditions as the Government thinks fit;

RECALLING previous IWC Resolutions on whaling under Special Permit adopted by the Commission (1996-7,
1997-5, 1998-4, and 1999-3) and in particular Resolution 1995-9, in which the Commission recommended that
scientific research involving the killing of cetaceans should only be permitted in exceptional circumstances
where the questions address critically important issues which cannot be answered by the analysis of existing data
and/or use of non-lethal research techniques;

RECALLING also that in 1997 the Commission affirmed that the JARPN programme did not address critically
important research needs for the management of whaling in the North Pacific Ocean;

WHEREAS Paragraph 30 of the Schedule to the Convention provides that all proposed Special Permits be
reviewed by the Scientific Committee, and that IWC Resolution 1999-2 specifically requested the Scientific
Committee to provide advice on this to the Commission;

NOTING the Government of Japan’s proposal to instigate in 2000 the JARPN II programme, under which takes
of minke whales, and, for the first time, takes of sperm and Bryde's whales, would be authorized;

FURTHER NOTING the many major concerns expressed and not allayed during the 52nd meeting of the
Scientific Committee, including (among others) concerns that the proposal did not address questions of high
priority relevant to management, did not make full use of existing data, and revealed many methodological
problems;

NOTING, in particular, that the Scientific Committee did not endorse the JARPN II proposal;
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
AFFIRMS that gathering information on interactions between whales and prey species is not a critically
important issue which justifies the killing of whales for research purposes;

PROPOSES that information on stock structure, which may be relevant to management, be obtained using non-
lethal means;

STRONGLY URGES the Government of Japan to refrain from issuing special permits for whaling under
JARPN II.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW

Resolution 2000-4

Decisions Document Number
2000-4
Long Title
Resolution on whaling under Special Permit in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary
Body

WC Resolution 2000-4
Resolution on whaling under Special Permit in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary
NOTING that since the 51st meeting in May 1999, the Government of Japan has issued special permits, under the
provisions of Article VIII of the Convention, for lethal scientific research on minke whales in the Southern
Ocean Sanctuary.

NOTING also that the Scientific Committee this year considered all estimates of Southern Hemisphere minke
whale population sizes which have been made available since 1990, and concluded that these estimates were
“appreciably lower” than the estimate of 760,000 accepted by the Scientific Committee in 1990.

NOTING further that the Scientific Committee this year recommends that “minke whale” should be listed as two
species in Section 1 of the Schedule to the Convention.

RECOGNISING that the Commission has agreed on the urgent need for the Scientific Committee to proceed
with the planned review of the estimates of population sizes of minke whales, including development of agreed
estimates, prior to seeking advice from the Commission on how to assess the impacts of JARPA on these stocks

NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION REQUESTS that the Government of Japan refrains from issuing any
Special Permits for the 2000/2001 season for the take of minke whales in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW

Resolution 2000-3

Decisions Document Number
2000-3
Long Title
Resolution on the Revised Management Scheme
Body

IWC Resolution 2000-3
Resolution on the Revised Management Scheme
WHEREAS the concept of the Revised Management Scheme and its main elements were identified by the
Commission in a Resolution adopted by the Commission in 1992 (RIWC 43:40);

WHEREAS the structure of the RMS was specified in Commission Resolution 1994-5 (RIWC 45:43-44);
WHEREAS the Commission identified in Resolution 1996-6 the three remaining elements of the RMS still to be
completed, namely:

(i) an effective observation and inspection scheme;
(ii) arrangements to ensure that total catches over time are within the limits set under the Revised Management
Scheme;

(iii) incorporation into the Schedule the specification of the Revised Management Procedure and all other
elements of the Revised Management Scheme.

WHEREAS the Working Group on the RMS has prepared a draft text (IWC/52/14 Appendix 4), which is not yet
finalized, for a revision of Chapter V of the Schedule (“Supervision and Control”);

WHEREAS the Scientific Committee has provided, and the Working Group on the RMS has amended, a
recommendation for arrangements on total catches over time;

WHEREAS the process of development of the RMS has already taken several years;
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
CONSIDERS that it is important for the future of the Commission that the process of completion of the RMS
proceed expeditiously;

REAFFIRMS that the Revised Management Scheme shall be structured as agreed in Resolution 1994-5, and
shall include, but not be limited to, the elements identified in the 1992 and subsequent Resolutions of the
Commission on the RMS;

INSTRUCTS the Secretary, in consultation with the Chairman, and taking such independent legal advice as is
necessary, to prepare a draft for a Schedule amendment that would incorporate the structure and elements of the
RMS, including the RMP, into the Schedule;

FURTHER INSTRUCTS the Secretary to circulate the draft text to Commissioners and Contracting
Governments for consideration and comment before the 30 November 2000;
AGREES to re-convene the Working Group on the RMS before the end of February 2001 for the purposes of:
making further progress on the draft text in IWC/52/14 Appendix 4 for a revision of Chapter V of the Schedule;
(ii) developing a text, based on the draft to be prepared by the Secretary, for the incorporation of the structure
and elements of the RMS, including the RMP, into the Schedule;

FURTHER INSTRUCTS the Secretary to circulate the report from the above meeting and the resulting
suggested Schedule texts to Commissioners and Contracting Governments for consideration and comment at
least 60 days before the 53
rd annual meeting;
NOTES that this Resolution cannot and does not commit the Commission to amend the Schedule now or at any
future time;

CONFIRMS that this Resolution does not prejudge the positions of Contracting Governments with respect to the
status of paragraphs 10(d) and 10(e) of the Schedule.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW

Resolution 2000-2

Decisions Document Number
2000-2
Long Title
Resolution on Whaling of highly endangered Bowhead Whales in the Eastern Canadian Arctic
Body

IWC Resolution 2000-2
Resolution on Whaling of highly endangered Bowhead Whales in the Eastern Canadian Arctic
WHEREAS the 52nd meeting of the Scientific Committee concluded that the Davis Strait and the Hudson Bay-
Foxe Basin bowhead whale stocks are two distinct and separate populations, both of which number in the low
hundreds;

CONSIDERING THAT the Government of Canada withdrew from the IWC in 1982 but continues to allow the
taking of bowhead whales in the Eastern Canadian Arctic;

CONCERNED THAT the Government of Canada has agreed to grant one license if requested from the Nunavut
Wildlife Management Board to take one bowhead whale from the Hudson Bay-Foxe Basin stock in 2000-2001;

WHEREAS the IWC is concerned about whaling not conducted under the International Convention for the
Regulation of Whaling (1946);

NOTING THAT the Government of Canada has been notified of IWC Resolutions 1996-9, 1998-13 and 1999-7,
each of which calls for refraining from issuing permits to hunt either highly endangered bowhead whale stocks in
the Eastern Canadian Arctic;

FURTHER NOTING THAT Canada is signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
(1982) which under Article 65 (Marine Mammals) requires that States co-operate through the appropriate
international organizations for the conservation, management and study of cetaceans;

NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
REAFFIRMS its opposition to whaling conducted on highly endangered stocks of whales;
EXPRESSES particular concern that whaling activities in the Eastern Canadian Arctic are ongoing outside the
control of the IWC;

URGES the Government of Canada to refrain from issuing a license for the taking of one bowhead whale from
the Hudson Bay-Foxe Basin population;

INVITES the Government of Canada to rejoin the IWC and, in the meantime, not to issue further whaling
permits;

REQUESTS THAT the Secretariat transmit the text of this Resolution to the Government of Canada.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW

Resolution 2000-1

Decisions Document Number
2000-1
Long Title
Resolution on Community-Based Whaling in Japan
Body

IWC Resolution 2000-1
Resolution on Community-Based Whaling in Japan
RECALLING that the International Whaling Commission has recognised (IWC/45/51) the socio-economic and
cultural needs of the four community-based whaling communities in Japan and the ongoing distress to these
communities which has resulted from the whaling moratorium, and resolved to work expeditiously to alleviate
the distress to these communities which has resulted from the cessation of minke whaling,

NOTING the widespread recognition in various UN covenants, conventions, and other documents, of the
importance for communities to continue customary resource use practices on a sustainable basis,

NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
REAFFIRMS the Commission’s commitment to work expeditiously to alleviate the distress caused by the
cessation of minke whaling to the communities of Abashiri, Ayukawa, Wadaura and Taiji.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW

Resolution 2001-13

Decisions Document Number
2001-13
Long Title
Resolution on Small Cetaceans
Body

Resolution 2001-13
Resolution on Small Cetaceans
APPRECIATING the valuable work of the Standing Sub Committee on Small Cetaceans (SCSC) and recognising
the usefulness of its findings to other international and regional bodies;

COMMENDING the SCSC’s species and population-specific reviews which enable the Scientific Committee and
Commission to make species-specific recommendations;

NOTING in particular the Scientific Committee’s recent acknowledgement of the critically endangered status of the
baiji and vaquita, the depleted or unknown status of many beluga stock and the uncertain status of the narwhal;

NOTING the continuing and critical threat to some small cetaceans posed by directed takes and their incidental
capture in fisheries operations;

WELCOMING the information on direct and incidental takes of small cetaceans provided by some Contracting
Governments through their annual progress reports to the IWC;

RECOGNISING the Government of Mexico’s recovery strategy for the vaquita, the objective of which is to reduce
by-catches of vaquita as rapidly as possible;

CONCERNED that, in the absence of information on population status, trends and distribution, takes and other
anthropogenic removals, the removal of certain small cetaceans may be detrimental to the survival of that species;

REGRETTING that, despite repeated requests for information and action on certain species and populations, the
requested information and action have not always been forthcoming;

NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
COMMENDS Contracting Governments who have instigated/taken conservation measures in relation to small
cetaceans in their waters and through other regional bodies;

URGES Contracting Governments to respond to outstanding and future requests from the Scientific Committee for
information on the status of, and threats to small cetaceans and recommendations for action;

DIRECTS the Scientific Committee to undertake a regular review of the extent to which outstanding
recommendations and resolutions relating to small cetaceans have been fulfilled;

CALLS ON Contracting Governments to report to the extent practicable information on all direct and non-direct
takes and other anthropogenic removals in their national progress reports;

URGES Contracting Governments to take all appropriate measures to prevent, minimise and mitigate by-catch of
small cetaceans in fisheries operations;

SUPPORTS the recommendations of the Scientific Committee in 1999 that beluga range states continue studies to
resolve the structure of beluga stocks, conduct contaminant analysis and health assessments and provide relevant
scientific data to the Scientific Committee;

FURTHER URGES narwhal range states to respond to the recommendations of the Scientific Committee in 1999 to
undertake genetic and telemetry studies to identify stocks and improve catch reporting, as well as to assess the
potential impact of threats including radionuclide contamination;

FURTHER URGES all Contracting Governments to respond to the Scientific Committee’s requests to report
progress on the conservation of critically endangered species, including baiji;

ENCOURAGES Contracting Governments to offer technical, scientific and financial support to range states to assist
their small cetacean conservation measures;
2001-13.doc 2 15/05/12 11:26
URGES the IWC under its Memorandum of Understanding with the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) to
pursue complementary and mutually supportive actions in respect of small cetaceans.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW

Resolution 2001-12

Decisions Document Number
2001-12
Long Title
Resolution on Dall’s Porpoise
Body

Resolution 2001-12
Resolution on Dall’s Porpoise
RECOGNISING that for more than a decade there has been concern about the status of Dall’s porpoise stocks
impacted by the Japanese hand-harpoon fishery, and that the Government of Japan has provided much valuable
information to assess the status of these stocks in the past, leading to a substantial decrease in the numbers taken,
although not to the levels recommended by the Scientific Committee;

WHEREAS in 1999 the Commission directed the Scientific Committee to review the status of Dall’s porpoise stocks
exploited in the Japanese hand harpoon hunt and that this review was carried out at the 53
rd meeting of the Scientific
Committee;

NOTING however, that this year data for the Dall’s porpoise status review was not made available by the
Government of Japan, and that the work of the Scientific Committee was hampered because of this;

CONCERNED that the most recent abundance estimate for the exploited stocks was made in 1991, and that since
this time more than 130,000 Dall’s porpoises have been reported taken;

NOTING that there has been a recent increase in the proportion of lactating females in some catches which may
reflect a change in hunting techniques whereby hunters target females with dependent calves;

FURTHER NOTING that reported catch statistics are also limited by the absence of data on number of individuals
struck and lost, inaccurate reporting on a stock-by-stock basis and the absence of data on age, sex and reproductive
condition;

NOTING the Scientific Committee’s report that a total of 11,973 Dall’s porpoises were taken as by-catch from 1993
to 1999 in the Japanese salmon drift-net fishery that operates in the Russian EEZ, and that some of these by-catches
are from the stocks impacted by the Japanese harpoon fishery;

FURTHER NOTING that the Scientific Committee reported that these by-catches should be considered in any future
assessment of Dall’s porpoises in this region;

NOTING ALSO that the Scientific Committee recommended that Governments should report by-catches of Dall’s
porpoises on an annual basis to the Scientific Committee;

NOTING that in 1990 the Scientific Committee recommended that catches of Dall’s porpoises should be reduced to
levels below 10,000 each year, and that, subsequently, catches have exceeded these levels;

CONCERNED that reported levels of directed takes alone exceed levels considered by the Scientific Committee to
be sustainable;

NOTING that the Scientific Committee reiterated its extreme concern for these stocks and repeated its previous
recommendations that catches be reduced as soon as possible to sustainable levels;

NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
DIRECTS the Scientific Committee to carry out a full assessment of the status of exploited Dall’s porpoise stocks as
soon as sufficient additional information becomes available;

CALLS ON the Government of Japan to provide information necessary to carry out such an assessment; namely
improved catch statistics for each stock, including information on age, sex and reproductive status and numbers
struck and lost, and new abundance estimates for each stock;

REQUESTS all governments with fisheries in the range of these stocks to fully report by-catch to the Scientific
Committee on an annual basis;

URGES the Government of Japan to halt the directed takes of Dall’s porpoises until a full assessment by the
Scientific Committee has been carried out.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW

Resolution 2001-11

Decisions Document Number
2001-11
Long Title
Resolution on the Importance of Habitat Protection and Integrated Coastal Zone Management
Body

Resolution 2001-11
Resolution on the Importance of Habitat Protection and Integrated Coastal Zone
Management

WHEREAS the destruction of coastal habitat may have a detrimental impact upon cetaceans;
RECALLING that the negative effects of habitat destruction upon cetaceans have been repeatedly recognised by the
IWC since 1980, as have the positive actions of a number of Signatories to confront habitat destruction and protect
various cetacean species,

NOTING that Article 193 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea stipulates that “States have the
sovereign right to exploit their natural resources pursuant to their environmental policies and in accordance with their
duty to protect and preserve the marine environment.”

MINDFUL that the International Whaling Commission with its specific responsibility in the management and
conservation of whale stocks may have a mutual interest in supporting the ratification of international treaties with
overlapping concerns,

NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION
Commends Contracting Governments to the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling to pursue the
objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on Wetlands, especially Waterfowl Habitats of
International Importance (RAMSAR), and the Coral Reefs Initiative, to better achieve coastal habitat protection and
integrated coastal zone management as advocated in the implementation decisions of these and similar agreements
and initiatives.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW

Resolution 2001-10

Decisions Document Number
2001-10
Long Title
Resolution on the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
Body

Resolution 2001-10
Resolution on the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants
WHEREAS persistent organic pollutants are seriously polluting the environment and its living resources including
whales, and may have significant negative health effects on consumers of marine mammal products;

RECALLING that the negative effects of Persistent Organic Pollutants upon cetaceans have been repeatedly
recognised by the IWC since 1981,

NOTING the International Whaling Commission with its specific responsibility in the management and conservation
of whale stocks may have a mutual interest in supporting the ratification of international treaties with overlapping
concerns,

NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION
CONGRATULATES the conclusion of the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, and
ENCOURAGES Contracting Governments to sign, ratify and adhere to the new Convention
REQUESTS that the Secretariat transmits this text to the Secretariat of the Stockholm Convention.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW

Resolution 2001-9

Decisions Document Number
2001-9
Long Title
Proposed Resolution on interactions between whales and fish stocks
Body

Resolution 2001-9
Proposed Resolution on interactions between whales
and fish stocks
WHEREAS it is the purpose of the International Whaling Commission to provide for the effective conservation and
management of whale stocks;

WHEREAS the IWC is the universally recognized international organization with competence for the management
of whale stocks;

ACKNOWLEDGING that better understanding of marine ecosystems, including interactions between whales and
fish stocks, would contribute to the conservation and management of living marine resources and is of interest to
nations as well as to regional fisheries management organizations and international research organizations;

NOTING that the Council of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, during its 120th session,
recommended that ecosystem-based fisheries management studies to be conducted by the FAO, as agreed in
paragraph 39 of the report of the 24
th session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries, should be balanced and holistic in
approach;

WELCOMING the Scientific Committee’s recommendations to conduct a workshop on interactions between whales
and fish stocks, to be held intersessionally between the 53
rd and 54th annual meetings of the Commission;
RECOGNIZING that, in order to effectively address the issue of interaction between whales and fish stocks, the
planning and conduct of the workshop requires experts on modeling and data sets and should therefore include
coordination with other organizations that have expertise, experience, and interest in this matter, and the participation
of experts from such organizations, as well as those specifically recommended by the Scientific Committee;

NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
GIVES notice that, as the competent international organization for the conservation and management of whale
stocks, it has decided to make the study of interactions between whale and fish stocks a matter of priority;

AGREES that any studies conducted by the FAO on ecosystem-based fisheries management be holistic and balanced
in approach;

ENDORSES the recommendations of the Scientific Committee concerning the workshop on interactions between
whales and fish stocks;

REQUESTS the Secretary to forward a copy of this resolution and relevant portions of the report of the Scientific
Committee to the Assistant Director-General of the Fisheries Department of the FAO and to the Chair of the FAO
Committee on Fisheries, seeking their cooperation in the organization and conduct of the workshop;

FURTHER requests the Secretary to forward a copy of this resolution and relevant portions of the report of the
Scientific Committee to regional fisheries management organizations, international research organizations, and other
appropriate organizations in consultation with Chair of the Scientific Committee.

Status
Adopted
Treaty
ICRW