non-binding upon its members, they do reflect the sense of the 

 IWC regarding appropriate conservation actions. Thus, if a 

 nation fails to follow a recommendation adopted in an IWC 

 resolution, that provides a reasonable basis for the Secretary 

 of Commerce to certify, pursuant to the Pelly and Packwood- 

 Magnuson Amendments, that the nation's actions are diminishing 

 the effectiveness of the IWC's conservation program. In the 

 view of the Marine Mammal Commission, while Iceland's actions 

 supported a certification action by the Secretary, it was 

 appropriate to enter into negotiations with Iceland to attempt 

 to secure their acceptance of the IWC resolutions. Therefore, 

 the Commission recommended that Iceland be advised that cer- 

 tification under the Pelly Amendment would take place if any 

 more whales were taken or if Iceland did not make clear its 

 intention to fully comply with all IWC resolutions within 90 

 days. 



Discussions between representatives of the United States 

 and Iceland concluded on 9 September 1987 with a meeting in 

 Ottawa, Canada. Based on discussions during the meeting, it 

 was agreed that: (1) beginning in 1988, Iceland would submit 

 its research program for review by the IWC Scientific Committee 

 and would carry out the scientific recommendations of that 

 Committee; (2) the United States would not certify Iceland 

 for taking 80 fin whales and 2 sei whales in 1987, nor for 

 whales taken in 1988 and thereafter, as long as Iceland complies 

 with the provision of point 1; and (3) the Governments of the 

 United States and Iceland would cooperate with other IWC 

 parties to make recommendations regarding the structure of 

 the IWC Scientific Committee's process for reviewing special 

 permits for scientific research. The agreement was executed 

 through an exchange of letters between the Secretary of Commerce 

 and the Charge d' Affaires of the Embassy of Iceland in Washing- 

 ton, D.C., on 15-16 September 1987. By the end of 1987, 

 Iceland had taken 80 fin whales and 20 sei whales. No action 

 was taken by the United States to certify Iceland under the 

 Pelly or Packwood-Magnuson Amendments. 



Japan — As noted above, Japan submitted a proposed 

 special permit for scientific research for review by the IWC 

 and its Scientific Committee during the IWC's 1987 meeting. 

 The Japanese research proposal involved taking 825 minke 

 whales and 50 sperm whales from the Southern Ocean during the 

 first year of a multi-year research program scheduled to begin 

 in late 1987. In reviewing Japan's proposal, some members of 

 the Scientific Committee identified a number of uncertainties 

 about whether the proposed research could contribute reliable 

 results for the comprehensive assessment or other critically 

 important research needs. These uncertainties were discussed 

 in the report of the Committee's meeting and considered by 

 the IWC. Based on its review, the IWC adopted a resolution 

 at its 1987 meeting expressing the view that the proposed 



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