U.S. participation in conservation of international fishcrv rcsour.is 401 



INTERNATIONAL WHALING CONVhN HON 



It has been recognized for some years that unrestricted whaling would deplete 

 or even destroy the world whale stocks, and seriously afTcct the economy of countries 

 dependent upon this resource for fats and oils. Multilateral agreements for the 

 regulation of whaling have been in effect for more than twenty years, the first having 

 entered into force in 1934. Revised agreements were negotiated in 1937, 1938, 1944. 

 and 1946. The 1946 convention is now in effect with seventeen nations as signatories, 

 including all the major whaling countries. 



To the 1946 Convention was annexed a schedule of whaling regulations which is 

 amended from time to time as the whaling commission established by the convention 

 finds necessary. This device, coupled with mandatory reporting of whales killed, and 

 related data, provides the flexibility needed to meet changing conditions in the whale 

 stocks through modification of the open season, closed areas, minimum lengths, and 

 so forth. 



The International Whaling Commission, on which all parties to the 1946 conven- 

 tion are entitled to be represented, is the supervising authority under that convention, 

 meeting annually. Its main responsibility relates to amendment of the schedule of 

 whahng regulations. These include fixing of species and minimum lengths of whales 

 which may be taken, open and closed seasons and w-aters, types of gear permitted, 

 methods of measurement, catch returns, and other statistical and biological records 

 and reports. Additionally, it conducts scientific research on whales and whaling, 

 and reviews enforcement by the contracting parties, on their own nationals, of the 

 obhgations deriving from the convention. 



Under the provisions of the agreements in force during the period from 1944 to 

 1953, the annual catch of whales in the Antarctic was limited to 16,000 blue whale 

 units, which represented a reduction by one-third of the catch during six pre-war 

 years. (The blue whale unit is a measure to equivalate the varying sizes of different 

 whale species, e.g. one blue whale unit equals one blue whale or six sei whales, etc.) 

 This was further reduced to 15,000 blue whale units in 1954. During this period the 

 open season for Antarctic whaling has been progressively shortened, and the opening 

 date advanced. All this has been accomplished while the production of whale oil has 

 remained about the same as in 1938-39. The number of whales taken has been re- 

 duced to encourage recovery of the stocks from their dangerous low, while oil 

 production has been maintained by increasingly concentrating the season in months 

 when the whales are the fattest, that is, yield the greatest amount of oil per animal. 



INTER-AMERICAN TROPICAL TUNA CONVENTION 

 The results of the halibut and salmon conventions, have encouraged a similar 

 approach to other international high-seas fishery problems. In 1949 the United States 

 negotiated with Costa Rica the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Convention. This 

 convention provides for research on the yellowfin tuna, skipjack, and bait lish tound 

 in the waters off the Pacific Coast of the Americas, and for recommending to the 

 contracting parties the conservation measures found necessary. It adds two new 

 features to U.S. fishery treaty practice: (1) The convention is open-ended; that is. 

 any of the nations concerned with these fisheries can adhere to the convention at a 

 later date with the consent of the countries then party to the convention; (2) It 

 provides that the costs of operation shall be divided among the contracting parties 



