Chapter IV — International 



Australia, and South Africa are increasing at annual 

 rates of about 7 to 8 percent and now total about 

 7,000 animals. In contrast, right whale populations in 

 the Northern Hemisphere remain severely depleted. 

 The western North Atlantic population, consisting of 

 about 300 individuals, may have been increasing at 

 about 2.5 percent per year during the 1980s. Howev- 

 er, the meeting participants were unable to conclude 

 whether, since that time, the stock has increased, 

 decreased, or remained at the same size. 



Less is known about the right whale stocks that 

 occur in the North Pacific. Scientists from Japan 

 presented sighting data from research cruises conduct- 

 ed in the Okhotsk Sea, suggesting that the western 

 North Pacific stock numbers about 900 individuals. 

 However, the confidence interval around that estimate 

 is quite large, and it may be that the size of the 

 population is actually much smaller. Meeting partici- 

 pants recommended that additional surveys be under- 

 taken and urged the Russian Federation to allow 

 researchers to survey waters within 12 nautical miles 

 of its coast. Information on the eastern North Pacific 

 stock of right whales consists of only sporadic sight- 

 ings of small groups of whales. (See the northern 

 right whale section of Chapter II for further informa- 

 tion on this stock.) 



Meeting participants made several recommenda- 

 tions concerning research and management needs for 

 right whales. They recommended that comparative 

 studies be undertaken in an effort to determine the 

 factors that may explain the differences in reproduc- 

 tive parameters between Northern and Southern 

 Hemisphere right whales. The participants believed 

 that high priority should be given to the continuation 

 of demographic photoidentification studies and surveys 

 designed to improve knowledge of right whale abun- 

 dance and trends. They also identified an urgent need 

 for research to identify measures for reducing mortali- 

 ty from ship strikes and fishing gear entanglements 

 and to examine factors such as food limitation and 

 pollution that may be contributing to low fecundity 

 and high mortality rates. Genetic studies to delineate 

 populations more accurately and to determine whether 

 low genetic diversity is retarding recovery in some 

 populations were also recommended. 



With specific reference to the western North 

 Atlantic stock, meeting participants expressed the view 

 that any human-related mortality will be detrimental 

 to the long-term survival of the population. They 

 therefore concluded that, if the chances of this stock 

 recovering are to be maximized, efforts to reduce 

 human-induced mortality are urgently needed. 



The 1998 Meetings of the IWC and 

 Its Scientific Committee 



The 50th annual meeting of the IWC was held in 

 Oman on 16-20 May 1998. The IWC's Scientific 

 Committee met in Oman before the annual meeting. 

 The principal issues considered are described below. 



The Moratorium on Commercial Whaling — In 



1982 the IWC adopted a moratorium on commercial 

 whaling that entered into effect during the 1985 

 pelagic and 1986 coastal whaling seasons. Although 

 several nations filed formal objections to the morato- 

 rium, only Norway and Russia continue to maintain 

 their objections. Under the International Convention 

 for the Regulation of Whaling, nations that file 

 objections within a specified period after a measure is 

 approved are not obligated to comply with the mea- 

 sure. As discussed below, the IWC is developing a 

 Revised Management Scheme, which if adopted would 

 provide a framework for lifting the moratorium. 



As it has each year for the past decade, Japan 

 submitted a proposal to the IWC requesting a quota of 

 50 minke whales for its small -type coastal whaling 

 communities. Japan believes that whaling at this level 

 would have no adverse impact on the stock and is 

 needed to alleviate economic distress in these commu- 

 nities resulting from the moratorium on commercial 

 whaling. Opponents point to the commercial aspects 

 of the proposal and contend that the integrity of the 

 moratorium should be sustained unless and until the 

 Revised Management Scheme is adopted and the 

 moratorium lifted. As with similar proposals put 

 forth by Japan at past IWC meetings, the 1998 request 

 for a minke whale quota was not adopted. 



As noted in past reports, Norway resumed com- 

 mercial whaling for minke whales in the eastern North 

 Atlantic in 1993 under its objection to the whaling 



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