Chapter IV — International 



(1) noted that the question of the IWC's competence 

 over small cetaceans was not resolved; (2) recom- 

 mended that the Scientific Committee's subcommittee 

 on small cetaceans continue to review the status of 

 small cetaceans and develop advice on their conserva- 

 tion; and (3) invited all contracting govenmients to 

 consider that advice. 



At its 1990 meeting, the IWC adopted a resolution 

 requesting the Scientific Committee to compile infor- 

 mation on the status of small cetacean stocks subject 

 to significant directed and incidental takes and the 

 effect of those takes on the stocks. The Scientific 

 Committee presented its report to the IWC at the 1991 

 meeting. The report noted that three species of small 

 cetaceans are critically endangered — the Gulf of 

 California harbor porpoise, or vaquita (see Chapter 

 n), the Indus river dolphin (susu), and the Chinese 

 river dolphin (baiji) — and recommended immediate 

 steps to protect them. The report also noted that the 

 IWC-sponsored Workshop on Mortality of Cetaceans 

 in Passive Fishing Nets and Traps, held in 1990 (see 

 the previous Annual Report), reviewed information on 

 the incidental take of small, as well as large, cetaceans 

 in high-seas driftnet fisheries and concluded that this 

 take is largely undocumented. 



At its 1991 meeting, the IWC adopted a resolution 

 commending the Scientific Committee for its work 

 and adopting the report's recommendations. It also 

 requested that its Secretariat forward the report to the 

 United Nations for consideration at the 1992 United 

 Nations Conference on Environment and Develop- 

 ment, as well as to non-contracting governments, 

 intergovernmental organizations, and other appropriate 

 groups. 



Humane Killing — At its 1980 meeting, the IWC 

 adopted a resolution calling for a prohibition on the 

 use of the "cold" or non-explosive harpoon for killing 

 cetaceans. This measure resulted from concern that 

 the non-explosive harpoon, used to improve the 

 condition of the harvested product, prolong^ the time 

 it takes a whale to die and its use was, therefore, 

 morally indefensible. As a result, the IWC Technical 

 Committee established a working group on humane 

 killing methods to review annually information on 

 development of humane techniques to kill whales. 



At its 1991 meeting, the working group reviewed 

 subsistence whaling programs in Greenland and 

 Alaska. Denmark presented information that, as of 1 

 April 1991, its whaling vessels were permitted to use 

 only "penthrite" grenade harpoons to take minke and 

 fin whales. (The penthrite harpoon, developed by 

 Japan in the early 1980s, has been shown to signifi- 

 cantly reduce the time required for a struck whale to 

 die.) The United States presented a report by the 

 Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission on steps it had 

 taken to improve harpoons and to train whalers in the 

 use of the penthrite grenade harpoon to take bowhead 

 whales. 



The Technical Committee's last comprehensive 

 review of humane killing methods took place in 1980 

 and new information has since been developed on the 

 efficiency and physiological effects of killing methods. 

 Noting this, the IWC adopted a resolution calling for 

 a workshop to: (1) review killing methods currently 

 in use or under development, and (2) assess and 

 compare the their efficiency. A steering group for the 

 workshop was formed and is expected to meet on 20- 

 22 June 1992, prior to the next IWC meeting. 



Review of Catch Limits for Commercial Whal- 

 ing — As noted above, the 1982 moratorium provides 

 for consideration of catch limits other than zero, based 

 on the results of the comprehensive assessment of 

 whale stocks. With the IWC's 1991 adoption of a 

 revised management procedure for calculating catch 

 limits, the Scientific Committee was given the task of 

 advising the IWC on implementation of the procedure. 

 It is expected to do so at its 1992 meeting. However, 

 during the 1991 meeting, some IWC member nations 

 argued that catch limits for certain whale stocks 

 should be set and commercial whaling resumed under 

 interim provisions until the revised management 

 procedure was in place. Specifically, the Government 

 of Japan proposed an interim take of 50 western North 

 Pacific minke whales and the Government of Iceland 

 proposed an interim take of 92 fin and 192 minke 

 whales from the North Atlantic. Other members 

 argued that it was inappropriate to discuss interim 

 catch limits in light of the IWC's previous resolution 

 to refrain from considering new commercial catch 

 limits until the revised management procedure was 

 implemented and the comprehensive assessments were 

 completed. 



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