58 



has issued up to 200 permits a year for the taking of whales of the categories 

 listed as endangered (sperm and grey whales). 



The major fleets now engaged in whaling are Japanese (3 feets). Russian (3 

 fleets) and Norwegian (1 factory ship). In addition there are known to be 

 "pirate" whaling operations, based in countries which are not signatories to the 

 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling : what is not known 

 is the extent to which these fleets are continuing to make inroads on sjiecies which 

 even the IWC is walling to protect. 



The International Whaling Commission has been in existence since 1948, and 

 many feel that it ha.s been very much less then successful. Although there is a 

 body of scientists who sit as advisors to the Commission, the Commission has 

 often failed to follow the advice of its advisors, invariably in the direction of 

 catching more whales than the scientists consider wise. 



The Conservation community has been attempting for years to develop an 

 international observer scheme, permitting representatives of other countries 

 to be present on the whaling ships to ensure that only whales of permitted species, 

 size and sex will be caught. The IWC has accepted the proposal "in principle" 

 for a number of years without ever implementing it. The current U.S. Commis- 

 sioner, Dr. J. L. McHugh, reports that "substantial progress" toward this ob- 

 jective was made at the last meeting of the Commission in June of this year. 

 Only time wuU tell if his hopes will be fulfilled, and no one can say how much 

 time species such as the Blue Whale have left to them. 



Another sore point with international conservationists has been the existence 

 of quotas for whaling fleets set by reference to the "Blue Whale Unit" (1 

 BWU = 2 fin whales 2% humpback whales or 6 sei whales). The imprecision 

 inherent in this system is api>arent; the feeling is that future catches must be 

 regulated by species and population stocks if these whales are to be protected 

 adequately. The Commission did agree to set quotas by species at next year's 

 meeting in London. 



The real problem confronted by the IWC is that it is essentially toothless. 

 It must convince all nations of the correctness of its position, and any nation 

 which dissents may in effect veto any position of the Commission. It has no 

 police powers, a tiny budget, and no way to control nationals of countries which 

 are not signatories to the Convention. Its defenders within the Departments of 

 State and elsewhere have generally adopted the position that "They do the 

 best they can" ; its opponents respond in the manner of the common law 

 "demurrer" : "That may be true, but it is simply not adequate". 



Federal research on whales within the Departments of Commerce and In- 

 terior is tiny — on the order of $80,000 per annum. It is clear that much more 

 must be known about the world's whales, if they are to survive as significant 

 elements of the world's oceanic ecosystem ; but it is also clear that stronger 

 measures are needed to provide some assurance that the whales will continue 

 to be in existence, when and as this information is gathered. 



It seems likely that the pressure on the remaining whales not yet listed as 

 formally "endangered" will increase, both as a source of funds and as a source 

 of food for a protein-hungry world. Riunors, not yet confirmed, are that some 

 nations in the South Pacific are giving serious consideration to tooling up to 

 catch porpoises and dolphins for food. Whether or not this is true today, it will 

 probably be true at some time in the future, unless steps are taken today to 

 prevent this. 



Most of these points were specifically taken up and discussed in detail at a 

 recent international conference on the biology of whales, held in the Shenandoah 

 National Park in the week preceding the IWC meeting. While the proceeding 

 of the conference are not yet available, we have a copy of the reports of the 

 working groups and a digest of the major conference conclusions, which will be 

 available to the Conmiittee. 



The report itself bears careful reading. 



Other points made in the course of the conference were : 



Whale stocks at low levels should be encouraged to grow to higher population 

 levels, as opposed to the maintenance of the status quo. 



A great deal more knowledge is required if whale species and stocks are to be 

 effectively managed. 



Whales can be used as effective monitors of ocean quality, since they can be 

 more easily observed than fish. 



The burden of proof should rest on the harvester to show that his activities 

 will not endanger a species or stock. 



