directions. In addition, the IWC's conservation program 

 provides that contracting governments must afford the IWC and 

 its Scientific Committee an opportunity to review the proposed 

 permits, which must include certain information on the proposed 

 research activities. 



In view of the provisions of Schedule paragraph 10 (e) 

 calling for a moratorium on commercial whaling and a compre- 

 hensive assessment of whale stocks, the IWC and its Scientific 

 Committee have devoted particular attention during recent 

 meetings to matters pertaining to the issuance of special 

 permits. In 1985, the Scientific Committee developed a series 

 of guidelines for reviewing proposed permits. At its 1986 

 meeting, the IWC adopted a Resolution providing advice to 

 contracting governments on criteria to be considered in issuing 

 special permits and authorizing disposition of whale meat and 

 other products derived from any whales taken. 



To further clarify the type of research conducted under 

 special permits that is consistent with the IWC conservation 

 program, the United States developed and put forward a proposed 

 resolution on scientific research programs during the 1987 IWC 

 meeting. The proposed resolution identified four additional 

 criteria by which to assess existing and proposed research 

 involving the killing of whales. The criteria call upon 

 contracting governments to ensure that permitted research: 



(1) addresses a question or questions that should be answered 

 in order to conduct the comprehensive assessment or to meet 

 other critically important research needs; 



(2) can be conducted without adversely affecting the overall 

 status and trends of the stock in question or the success 

 of the comprehensive assessment of such stock; 



(3) addresses a question or questions that cannot be answered 

 by analysis of existing data and/or use of non-lethal 

 research techniques; and 



(4) is likely to yield results leading to reliable answers 

 to the question or questions being addressed. 



The proposed resolution also: (a) requested that the 

 Scientific Committee provide the IWC with its views as to 

 whether the research satisfies those and other relevant cri- 

 teria; (b) sought agreement that, beginning with its Thirty- 

 ninth meeting, the IWC would annually review the report of 

 the Scientific Committee regarding its views on special permits 

 for the killing of whales; (c) sought agreement that the IWC 

 would notify contracting governments if, in its view, ongoing 

 or proposed research did not satisfy the above criteria or 

 criteria in its 1986 Resolution on Special Permits; and 



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