WWF - 62nd International Whaling Commission meeting

FIELD GUIDE TO THE CETACEANS OF WEST AFRICA

2011-10-26

The FIELD GUIDE TO THE CETACEANS OF WEST AFRICA
aims to improve the level of knowledge and information on cetaceans in West Africa, gives an overview of existing species, their habitats, behaviours and conservation status.

Easy to use and drafted in a simple way, it facilitates the identification of cetaceans to professionals and all those concerned with their management and conservation.

Save the Whale, Save the Southern Ocean

2010-06-21

The Southern Ocean is critical to ensuring the recovery and viability of the great whale populations in the southern hemisphere.

It provides the feeding grounds needed to sustain most southern hemisphere great whales – which coastal communities from Australia to Latin America to Africa are reliant upon for livelihoods and income derived from whale watching tourism.

After rampant commercial whaling in the twentieth century brought most great whale species in the Southern Ocean close to extinction, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) established the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in 1994, recognising the critical importance of protecting whales in this special place.

Since the inception of the sanctuary, threats to whales in the Southern Ocean have broadened to include climate change, ship strikes, the potential of over-fishing and acoustic and chemical pollution. If whales in the southern hemisphere are to fully recover, the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary must be fully respected by all contracting governments to the IWC.

WWF therefore urges all contracting governments to the IWC to reject any proposal that would set catch limits for whaling in the Southern Ocean.

Download the report: Save the Whale, Save the Southern Ocean 2.65 MB pdf

WWF position statement, IWC 62

2010-06-10

WWF's goal is to ensure that viable populations of all cetacean species occupy their historic range, and fulfill their role in maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems.

WWF acknowledges the widely varied cultural attitudes toward the conservation and management of whales, but continues to oppose commercial whaling - now and until whale stocks have fully recovered, and the governments of the world have brought whaling fully under international control with a precautionary and conservation-based enforceable management and compliance system adhered to by all whaling nations.

WWF recognises the human need for subsistence whaling and supports the take where it is carried out by aboriginal, indigenous, or native peoples with long-standing, strong social or cultural ties to whaling; where products are for local consumption only; and with a precautionary management scheme in place to ensure such activities are sustainable and do not threaten whale populations.

This position statement includes comments on several but not all of the issues facing the IWC.

Download WWF position statement IWC 62 193 KB pdf

Six Fundamental Elements for the Proposed IWC Consensus Decision

2010-05-15

The IWC suggested its version of a compromise but we do not support this compromise unless it is revised to include the following six points:

End all whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
If any whaling is authorized the whale products must be for domestic consumption only.
Any agreed catch limits for whales must be calculated by the IWC Scientific Committee using the published version of the Revised Management Procedure (RMP), which is specifically designed to safeguard whale populations while providing for some sustainable use as long as the species being considered is determined to have a healthy population.
No whales should be killed that are either a threatened species or in a threatened population.
End all so-called scientific whaling.
If this deal goes through then governments should not be allowed to lodge any reservations and attempt to operate outside of the IWC.

Download the full text of WWF's response to the IWC by clicking on the relevant language version to the right.

Cetaceans and Other Marine Biodiversity of the Eastern Tropical Pacific: Options for Adapting to Climate Change.

2009-06-12

This three-day meeting brought together 72 international experts in cetacean biology, oceanography, biodiversity, conservation and climate to discuss the current status of cetacean and other marine populations in the eastern tropical Pacific and to assess their vulnerability and adaptation options to climate change in the region.

This is the first effort in the region to collate oceanographic and climate knowledge in the context of vulnerabilities and adaptation options for marine organisms. Although it did not aspire to be comprehensive, it will serve as a platform to stimulate further regional work towards adaptation of marine habitats to climate change.

Hoffman, JR, Fonseca, A, and C Drews (eds). 2009. Cetaceans and Other Marine Biodiversity of the Eastern Tropical Pacific: Options for Adapting to Climate Change. Report from a workshop held February 9-11, 2009. MINAET/WWF/EcoAdapt/CI/IFAW/TNC/WDCS/IAI/PROMAR, San Jose, Costa Rica. ISBN: 978-9968-825-37-5

WWF position following the IWC intersessional meeting, March 2009

2009-03-11

A proposed "package deal" that would allow Japan a five year coastal whaling quota in exchange for phasing out or reducing its so-called scientific whaling program in the Southern Ocean is not an acceptable compromise as it does not do enough to protect whales according to WWF.

The package deal was discussed at a three day meeting in Rome on 9-11 March attended by just over half of the 84 member governments of the IWC, and is part of an attempt to resolve the current impasse in the IWC between pro-whaling and anti-whaling nations. WWF attended the meeting as an official observer.

This meeting was an opportunity for IWC member governments to come up with a plan that would move the IWC forward for the benefit of whales but few innovative suggestions that would contribute to a feasible solution were made.

The chair of the IWC, William Hogarth, has passed the task of drafting a package deal to the Small Working Group (SWG), which will present their report on18 May. The package deal will then be discussed and voted on at the 61st meeting of the IWC in Madeira, Portugal in June. Dr Hogarth is the IWC Commissioner for the United States.

WWF has been working with the IWC, and on whaling, for decades. WWF fully supports a resolution to the deadlock in the IWC, but believes that such a resolution must benefit whales more than whaling. WWF appreciates the fact that the IWC member governments are engaging each other in discussion but finds the package deal discussed at the meeting has some major loop holes and problems.

WWF has several suggestions for the SWG as they go forward with drafting a new deal, including the following:

All "scientific whaling" must be stopped immediately;
All whaling nations, not just Japan, must be considered in any deal;
There must be clear mechanisms for compliance, monitoring and sanctions against countries that break the rules; and,
The Revised Management Procedure (RMP), agreed by the IWC in 1994 and one of the most rigorous procedures for natural resource management yet developed, must be included in any deal involving quota setting.

Without these and several other provisions in the deal, whale populations already depleted from the unregulated whaling of the past century will continue to suffer from the actions of irresponsible whaling nations.

WWF looks forward to discussing with governments all of the elements of the SWG report and hopes that the SWG's decisions are based on sound, robust science and for the benefit of the world's whales. WWF continues to work with all governments on the conservation and recovery of whale species, and the reduction of all threats to whales and dolphins including bycatch, ship strikes, pollution, noise, habitat loss, and climate change.

Whales set to chase shrinking feed zones

2008-06-20

The report Ice breaker: Pushing the boundaries for whales, summarises WWF research showing that levels of global warming predicted over the next 40 years will lead to winter sea-ice coverage of the Southern Ocean declining by up to 30 per cent in some key areas.

"Essentially, what we are seeing is that ice-associated whales such as the Antarctic minke whale will face dramatic changes to their habitat over little more than the lifespan of an individual whale," said Dr Susan Lieberman, Director of WWF International's Species Programme and head of the WWF delegation to the IWC meeting.

Migratory whales meanwhile may need to travel 200-500 kilometres further south to find the "frontal" zones which are their crucial foraging areas. Migratory whale species which will be affected include the Blue Whale, earth's largest living creature, and the humpback whales which are only now coming back from the brink of extinction after populations were decimated by commercial whaling, mainly during the first half of the 20th century.

Both species build up the reserves that sustain them throughout the year in the frontal zones, which host large populations of their primary food source – krill.

"As frontal zones move southward, they also move closer together, reducing the overall area of
foraging habitat available," the research notes. As the krill is dependent on sea ice, less sea ice is also expected to reduce the abundance of food for whales in the feeding areas.

"The impact on whales is one more imperative for the world to take decisive action to reduce the risk of catastrophic climate change," Dr Lieberman said. "However, the IWC must also take the opportunity of this southern hemisphere meeting to look at every possible way to increase the resilience of whale populations to climate change.

"For Antarctica's whales, the best way to do this would be to reduce all other threats – such as the unregulated and unjustified so-called 'scientific whaling' of these species conducted by Japan."

WWF is recommending the protection of critical habitats and for also limiting other non-climate stresses to whale populations such as fishing, pollution and ocean noise.

Notes

•Ice breaker: Pushing the boundaries for whales summarises research commissioned by WWF from scientists Dr. Cynthia Tynan and Dr. Joellen Russell which was presented to the IWC Scientific Committee in the following paper: Tynan, C. T. and Russell, J.L. 2008. Assessing the impacts of future 2°C global warming on Southern Ocean cetaceans. International Whaling Commission, Scientific Committee document SC/60/E3. Ice Breaker (English, French and Spanish) and the report (English only) are available at https://intranet.panda.org/documents/folder.cfm?uFolderID=61441 The log-in is: intranet@wwfint.org and the password is: dropbox

•Current projections have 2°C of average global warming over pre-industrial levels – widely regarded as a threshold level for unacceptable risks of runaway climate change – arriving on average in 2042, with impacts going furthest and fastest in polar regions.

•Warming of 2°C will reduce winter sea-ice coverage by 10-15 per cent overall and up to 30 percent in some key areas.

•Shrinking ice covered areas affect krill production in two ways –sea ice is a refuge for krill larvae in winter, and an area of intense algal blooms in summer on which the krill feed. Krill is so fundamental to the Southern Ocean ecosystem that the impacts will not be confined to whales but also to seals, seabirds and penguins, and to fisheries productivity.

•"Frontal zones" are where water masses of different temperatures meet. They are associated with upwelling of nutrients supporting large plankton populations on which species such as Antarctic krill feed.

Whales, Whaling & the International Whaling Commission

2008-06-01

WWF's goal is to ensure that viable populations of all cetacean species occupy their historical range, and fulfil their role in maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems. We work at a local level and across a broad range of international fora to address and reduce threats to cetaceans.

Download WWF's full Position Paper for the 2008 IWC Meeting. [pdf, 166 KB]

WWF's goal is to ensure that viable populations of all cetacean species occupy their historical range, and fulfil their role in maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems. We work at a local level and across a broad range of international fora to address and reduce threats to cetaceans. In doing so, WWF acknowledges the widely varied cultural attitudes toward the conservation and management of whales. WWF opposes commercial whaling, now and until WWF is convinced that the governments of the world have brought whaling under international control, with a precautionary and conservation-based enforceable management and compliance system adhered to by the whaling nations.
In the more than 60 years since the International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling (which established the International Whaling Commission) was adopted, it has become impossible to separate the threats presented by commercial whaling from those of marine and noise pollution, commercial bycatch, overfishing, ship strikes, oil and gas development or climate change. It would be far preferable, and of greater potential conservation benefit to cetaceans, for the IWC to now embrace the internationally accepted principles of Ecosystem Based Management, and address all of the threats to cetacean populations in a broad, multilateral context. As such, WWF urges governments to make the IWC an effective international forum for the conservation of all cetaceans, particularly those that are endangered, and to work to minimise adverse human impacts from all human-caused threats. Achieving successes together to alleviate these threats will increase the trust between member governments, which has been lost over recent decades.
The IWC has an important contribution to make to the conservation of all cetaceans, but the current stalemate caused by the Contracting Governments' differing views on commercial whaling is adding to the many threats faced by both the great whales and small cetaceans. WWF supports a resolution to the current stalemate in the IWC, and looks forward to working cooperatively with all governments and stakeholders with an interest in whales and whaling to find a common way forward to ensure a secure and sustainable future for the world's whales. In particular, WWF continues to call on the Government of Japan to stop abusing the special whaling permit provision of the ICRW by conducting commercial whaling under the guise of research, above all in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
WWF continues to oppose the resumption in international trade in whale parts and products, and supports the retention on CITES Appendix I of all whale species and stocks protected from commercial whaling by the IWC.
WWF recognises the human need for aboriginal subsistence whaling where it is carried out by aboriginal, indigenous, or native peoples with long-standing, strong social or cultural ties to whaling; where products are for local consumption only; and with a precautionary management scheme in place to ensure such activities are sustainable and do not threaten whale populations.

Disturbed, hungry and lost – climate change impacts on whales

2007-05-22

The report — Whales in hot water? — highlights the growing impacts of climate change on cetaceans. They range from changes in sea temperature and the freshening of the seawater because of melting ice and increased rainfalls, to sea level rise, loss of icy polar habitats and the decline of krill populations in key areas.

Krill — a tiny shrimp-like animal that is dependent on sea ice — is the main source of food for many of the great whales.

Accelerating climate change adds significantly to disturbances from other human activities, such as chemical and noise pollution, collisions with ships and entanglement in fishing nets, which kills some 1,000 cetaceans every day.

"Whales, dolphins and porpoises have some capacity to adapt to their changing environment," said Mark Simmonds, International Director of Science at WCDS, "but the climate is now changing at such a fast pace that it is unclear to what extent whales and dolphins will be able to adjust, and we believe many populations to be very vulnerable to predicted changes."

Climate change impacts are currently greatest in the Arctic and the Antarctic. According to the report, cetaceans that rely on polar, icy waters for their habitat and food resources, such as belugas, narwhals and bowhead whales, are likely to be dramatically affected by the reduction of sea ice cover.

And as sea ice cover decreases, there will be more human activities, such as commercial shipping, oil, gas and mining exploration and development as well as military activities, in previously untouched areas of the Arctic.

"This will result in much greater risks from oil and chemical spills, worse acoustic disturbance and more collisions between whales and ships," said the lead author of the report, Wendy Elliott of WWF's Global Species Programme.

Other projected impacts of climate change listed in the report include: reduction of available habitat for several cetacean species unable to move into colder waters (e.g. river dolphins); the acidification of the oceans as they absorb growing quantities of CO₂; an increased susceptibility of cetaceans to diseases; and reduced reproductive success, body condition and survival rates.

Climate change could also be the nail in the coffin for the last 300 or so endangered North Atlantic right whales, as the survival of their calves has been directly related to the effects of climate variability on prey abundance.

WWF and WCDS and are urging governments to cut CO₂ global emissions by at least 50 per cent by the middle of this century. The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed it was possible to stop global warming if the world's emissions start to decline before 2015.

The two conservation organizations further call on the International Whaling Commission to facilitate research on future impacts of climate change on cetaceans, including by supporting a special climate change workshop in the coming year; elaborate conservation and management plans in light of the climate change threat; and increase efforts and resources to fight all the other threats to cetaceans.

For further information:
Sarah Janicke
Species Communications Manager

Tel: +41 22 3649250
Mobile: +41 79 528 8641
Fax: +41 22 3646624
E-mail: sjanicke@wwfint.org

WWF public opinion poll on commercial whaling in 10 Pacific and Caribbean countries

2006-06-15

WWF public opinion poll on commercial whaling in ten Pacific and Caribbean countries

WWF's Global River Dolphin Initiative

2006-05-15

Of the seven species of dolphins worldwide, four are found only in freshwater: the Ganges river Dolphin (Platanista gangetica), the Yangtze river dolphin (Lipotes vexillifer), the Indus river dolphin (Platanista minor) and the Amazon dolphin (Inia geoffrensis). In addition, there are two river dolphins and one river porpoise that can be found in both marine and freshwater, the tucuxi, Sotalia fluviates in South America and the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) and finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in Asia.

Below find a summary of feature stories, press release and background print material available from the initiative:

WWF news / publications concerning all or several river dolphin species:

WWF News (17 Oct 2006)
Counting river dolphins in Peru
Hundreds of dolphins were spotted along Peru's Samiria and Maranon-Amazonas Rivers as part of South America's first regional freshwater dolphin survey.

WWF News (10 Aug 2006)
Counting dolphins in Ecuador
Dozens of dolphins have been sighted in the rivers of Ecuador as part of a WWF-supported South American freshwater dolphin survey in the Amazon.

Factsheet: River Dolphins (08 Mar 2006)
River dolphins and porpoises swim in some of the world's mightiest rivers. But these river basins are also home to over 15 per cent of our planet's people and include some of the most densely populated, and poorest, areas on Earth.

Background Information: WWF's River Dolphin Initiative (doc, 0.1MB)
WWF is committed to conserving the world's endangered river dolphins, and with help from our partners and supporters, we hope to prevent their extinction.

WWF News (21 March 2005)
River dolphins in freshwater battle against extinction
Ahead of World Water Day 2005, WWF launched an initiative to save river dolphins through improving freshwater systems, benefiting both dolphins and people.

Radio interview:
Rare dolphins serve as watchdogs for the water quality of Asian rivers
John Hay speaks with Lisa Hadeed, spokesperson for WWF's Freshwater Programme, about the role of dolphins as watchdogs for water quality and what is being done to protect them.

WWF news / publications concerning the Ganges river dolphin Platanista gangetica:

WWF Nepal study (May 2006)
Status, distribution and conservation threats of Ganges River dolphins in the Karnali River, Nepal: Six months of field research conducted by WWF along Nepal's Karnali River shows that river dolphin populations are more endangered than ever.

WWF News (3 Nov 2006)
Seismic work suspended in Brahmaputra, India
WWF-India welcomes the official decision to suspend seismic work in Brahmaputra, India. The potential impact of seismic tests to the highly endangered Ganges river dolphins could be large.

Case study (March 2006)
Conserving the Ganges River Dolphin and improving livelihoods in Farida village, India
Farida Village in Uttar Pradesh, India was identified as the most disadvantaged of a number of communities in a stretch of the Ganges River forming significant habitat for the endangered Ganges River Dolphin. The dolphin has been a species of special concern to WWF since 1997, and Farida village was chosen for a pilot dolphin conservation initiative in 2001. Follow up studies in 2005 quantified changes in wellbeing among villagers that were linked to the dolphin conservation programme.

WWF News (19 Dec 2005)
Ganges River dolphin rescue
Thanks to the efforts of local fishermen and WWF, an endangered Ganges river dolphin was rescued from a fishing net in India. After seven hours of hard work by WWF's river project team, the dolphin was released back into its proper habitat.

WWF Feature (15 March 2005)
Swimming blindly down the Ganges
The river dolphins of India's sacred Ganges River are dwindling due to pollution and overfishing. But one stretch of the Ganges is seeing dolphin numbers doubling.

WWF Species fact file: Ganges River dolphin
The Ganges River dolphin lives in one of the world's most densely populated areas, and is threatened by removal of river water and siltation arising from deforestation, pollution and entanglement in fisheries nets.

WWF-India survey of the Ganges River dolphin
WWF-India has recently completed the first ever-Scientific Status Survey of the Ganges river dolphin in India namely in the state of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.

WWF-India: Facts on the Ganges River Dolphin & the Dolphin Conservation Programme
The Ganges River Dolphin is very much in danger of extinction. The population is declining rapidly at a rate of 10% annually. In Ganga the illegal annual off take of the dolphins is estimated to be 130-160 in number. The habitat of dolphin is greatly affected by industrial and agricultural development.

WWF news / publications concerning the Irrawaddy dolphin Orcaella brevirostris:

WWF Species fact file: Irrawaddy dolphin
Reports from the 1970s show that the fishermen of Burma attract the Irrawaddy dolphin by tapping the sides of their boats with oars. By swimming around the boat, the dolphin brings the fish into nets, and the fishermen share their catch with it.

WWF News (03 Feb 2006)
Dolphin death toll mounting in Asia
The death of ten Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong River in Cambodia is raising serious concerns about the survival of this already critically endangered population, warns WWF.

WWF Feature (12 November 2004)
Surviving murky waters
It is the end of the monsoon season in Southeast Asia. The rains are less frequent now and the waters of the Bang Pakong River are unusually calm. This makes looking for the elusive Irrawaddy dolphin all the easier.

WWF's Position Statement: Irrawaddy Dolphin (prepared for the CITES COP 13 meeting, Oct 2004. pdf, 0.2MB) fr | es

Project description: Cambodian Mekong Dolphin Conservation
The existing Mekong Dolphin Conservation Project aims to undertake a comprehensive status assessment of the Irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) population that inhabits the Mekong River, develop and implement effective conservation and management initiatives and build capacity amongst local government officials.

Cambodian Mekong Dolphin Conservation Strategy (doc, 0.13MB)

Factsheet Irriwaddy Dolphin (by WWF Living Mekong Programme, pdf, 0.7MB)

WWF News (9 Jun 2005)
Caught in nets: WWF report identifies dolphins, porpoises most in need of urgent action
Nine dolphin and porpoise populations around the world need immediate action if they are to survive the threat of entanglement in fishing gear.

WWF Report:
Global Priorities for Reduction of Cetacean Bycatch
According to a new WWF report, bycatch – the capture in fishing gear of unwanted fish and other species – is one of the greatest global threats facing dolphins, porpoises, as well as whales.

WWF Factsheet:
Nine dolphin and porpoise populations in urgent need of help (pdf, 0.5MB)

WWF factsheet on global bycatch

WWF news / publications concerning the Indus river dolphin Platanista minor

WWF Species fact file: Indus river dolphin
The Indus River dolphin is one of the world's rarest mammals and the second most endangered freshwater river dolphin. Approximately 1,100 specimen of this species exist today in a small fraction of their former range, the lower reaches of the Indus River in Pakistan.

Project description:
Conservation of the Endangered Indus River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica minor)

WWF Video clip:
Indus River Dolphin Capture & Release

WWF news / publications concerning the Amazon (Pink River) dolphin Ina geoffrensis

WWF news (09 May 2006)
First regional freshwater dolphin survey underway in South America
South American scientists embark on an expedition through the rivers and watersheds of the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers to survey freshwater dolphins.

WWF Factsheet: Pink River Dolphin
The pink river dolphin is widely distributed in the Amazon and Orinoco basins, in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru.

Factsheet: River Dolphins

2006-03-08

River dolphins and porpoises swim in some of the world's mightiest rivers, including the Ganges, Indus, Yangtze, Mekong, and Amazon.

But these river basins are also home to over 15 per cent of our planet's people and include some of the most densely populated, and poorest, areas on Earth.

Dam-building, entanglement in fishing nets, boat traffic, and pollution have led to drastic declines in dolphin populations over the last several decades. Several Asian species are now amongst the most endangered of all cetaceans. Urgent action is needed to prevent these charismatic animals, about which we still know very little, from becoming extinct.

River dolphins and porpoises are 'flagship' species for their habitats - charismatic representatives of the biodiversity within the complex ecosystems they inhabit. Efforts to safeguard these cetaceans will not only help save many other species, but will directly contribute to human development and survival by ensuring the availability of adequate and clean freshwater.

In 2005, WWF launched a new River Dolphin Initiative. With 40 years of experience in cetacean conservation, WWF is working with governments, other non-governmental organizations, industry, fishermen, and local communities to reduce or eliminate the threats to River dolphins and porpoises.

Factsheet: Cetaceans

2006-03-08

Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are powerful symbols of our oceans. By the end of the 20th century, however, many populations had been decimated by systematic hunting, accidental capture in fishing nets (bycatch), habitat degradation, and other human activities.

Despite decades of legal protection, 7 of the 13 great whale species are still endangered or vulnerable, as are a further 17 small whale, dolphin, and porpoise species or populations. Direct hunting and bycatch remain the greatest threats to the survival of these graceful aquatic mammals.

WWF considers cetaceans 'flagship species' - that is, charismatic representatives of the biodiversity of the complex ecosystems they inhabit. Conserving these animals and their habitats will also help many other species.

In 2005, WWF launched its Cetacean Species Action Plan, the first global conservation plan for all cetaceans.

The ultimate aim is for viable populations of all cetacean species to occupy their full historical range and fulfill their role in maintaining the integrity of marine and freshwater ecosystems. As an initial goal, WWF aims to ensure that current threats to critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable cetacean populations are significantly reduced by 2012.

Irrawaddy Dolphin Factsheet

2005-07-13

WWF IWC 57 Opening Statement

2005-06-21

WWF appreciates this opportunity to attend the 57th meeting of the International Whaling Commission, and thanks the people of Ulsan for sponsoring the meeting. We wish the Contracting Governments and observers a stimulating and productive meeting based on mutual understanding and a strong commitment to cetacean conservation.

WWF's goal is to ensure that viable populations of all cetacean species occupy their historical range, and fulfill their role in maintaining the integrity of ocean ecosystems. WWF acknowledges the widely varied cultural attitudes toward the conservation and management of whales, but continues to oppose commercial whaling until whale stocks have recovered, and the governments of the world have brought whaling under international control with a precautionary and conservation-based enforceable management and compliance system adhered to by the whaling nations. (Please refer to the WWF Position Statement and other documentation for more detailed discussions and recommendations.)

Of the world's 86 currently recognized species of cetaceans, the 2003 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species classifies six species or populations as Critically Endangered, and at least one of these is in immediate danger of becoming the first cetacean species whose extinction was caused by humans. Another nine are considered Endangered, six are currently listed as Vulnerable, and many local and regional populations are seriously depleted. Of additional conservation concern is that 31 species of cetaceans have yet to be evaluated for IUCN classification, while 24 are considered "data deficient." Many of the latter are small cetaceans that are poorly known on a global scale; these species, as well as large whales, can clearly benefit from IWC involvement.

THE IWC'S ROLE IN CETACEAN CONSERVATION

WWF opposes Japan's announced intention to propose the deletion of important conservation items from the agenda of the IWC, including proposals for new sanctuaries, health issues, whalewatching, small cetaceans, and the Conservation Committee. Insisting that these issues are outside the scope of the Convention calls to question Japan's commitment to cetacean conservation, and we urge the Government of Japan to reconsider its position.

WWF urges the IWC to take action rapidly to address significant threats facing cetaceans globally, such as bycatch, ship strikes, habitat degradation and the impacts of climate change by supporting the Conservation Committee and programmes of action to reduce these threats.

To read the full statement, please click here

Report: Science, profit and politics: Scientific Whaling in the 21st Century

2005-06-13

Since the moratorium on whaling took effect in 1986, more than 7,000 whales – minke, sperm and Bryde's whales – have been killed in the name of the science, mainly by the Japanese whaling fleet. But, the global organization says that, scientific whaling is nothing more than an instrument of profit and politics to circumvent the moratorium, as modern, non lethal, techniques are more reliable in providing data on whale biology.

Factsheet on the 9 dolphin and porpoise populations in urgent need of help

2005-06-09

Joint NGO statement on scientific whaling

2005-06-09

In 1982, the member nations of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) took a necessary leap forward for whale conservation by voting to establish a moratorium on the commercial killing of whales. Since the moratorium took effect in 1986, more than 24,000 whales have been killed in known whaling operations, of which more than 7000 have been killed in the name of science - whales that are then butchered and sold in the Japanese marketplace.

Taking advantage of a loophole in the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling that allows whales to be killed for research purposes, the Government of Japan switched its Antarctic commercial whaling operations to scientific whaling shortly after the moratorium took effect. It added another scientific whaling operation in the North Pacific Ocean in 1994.

Japan chooses to ignore the fact that since the original treaty on whaling was written, science has moved into the 21st Century. The vast majority of information once gathered from dead whales can now be obtained using modern, non-lethal scientific methods, not only making scientific whaling obsolete but also resulting in a better understanding of whales and their place within the marine ecosystem. The majority of IWC members have recognized this and repeatedly urged Japan to cease its scientific whaling operations.

Other IWC member nations, as well as many of the world's leading whale scientists, recognize the time has come to update this anachronistic approach to research and international discussions are underway to revise or even eliminate it. At the same time, Japan, while claiming to participate in negotiations on better international controls for future commercial whaling, is deliberately undermining those efforts by continuing to expand its scientific whaling operations.

At Japan's request, IWC member nations are required to keep the details of Japan's most recent scientific whaling proposal secret until the first day of the meeting on June 20. However, press reports and other sources indicate that in spite of the current talks regarding the possible overhaul of the scientific whaling provision, Japan will actually more than double the number of whales it kills for "research" and add two new species to the program - and all this in an IWC-designated whale sanctuary in the waters surrounding Antarctica.

This constant expansion of an already outdated and questionable research program cannot continue. Our organizations call on the Government of Japan to stop scientific whaling and call on the other members of the International Whaling Commission to make this issue one of their top priorities. The credibility of the IWC and the future of whale populations are both at stake.

An NGO Introduction for Media and Interested Parties

2005-06-09

Introduction

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established as a diplomatic by-product of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), a formal international treaty organization formed to address the problem of depleting global whale stocks. As prescribed by the ICRW, the Commission has member nations who appoint Commissioners and Delegates to represent them at IWC meetings and in the general conduct of IWC business. The Commission has a Secretariat comprised of professional and administrative staff responsible for administering and overseeing IWC business as directed by member countries.

Note: The International Whaling Commission has its own web site that contains important documents relative to the Commission (historically) and specific to the 57th Annual Meeting. These include the "Convention" (original text); the "Schedule" (current list of whaling regulations); "Rules of Procedure" and documents specific to the 2005 Annual meeting (most notably, the 2005 Annotated Agenda).

Also look for the "Chairman's Report" of the 2004 meeting. Go to www.iwcoffice.org

IWC Annual Meetings

The most public aspect of the International Whaling Commission remains their Annual Meetings (this year, the 57th IWC Annual Meeting is being held in Ulsan, Republic of Korea). The IWC's Scientific Committee meets 30 May - 10 June. This is followed by a week of Sub-Committee and Working Group meetings, 13 - 18 June, with the formal Plenary meeting occurring 20 - 24 June.

Who's A Member?

Please see list at end of document. Currently, the IWC has 61 member nations. However, a number of countries are rumoured to be "close" to joining the Commission, and are expected to do so just prior to the Ulsan meeting. Given that the IWC is a formal international treaty organization, interested countries (national governments) must submit a formal Instrument of Notification (to the depository country of record - the United States, in this case) in order to become a Party to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. Since last year's IWC Annual Meeting (Sorrento, Italy, 10-22 July 2004) the nations of Kiribati, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, and Mali have each submitted the proper diplomatic instruments as required by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and are now recognized parties to the treaty. They are expected to attend the 57th IWC Annual Meeting in Ulsan. Many NGOs believe that the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic will support whale conservation and take a strong conservative view of motions to advance commercial whaling. Kiribati and Mali are expected to support Japan and the advancement of whale killing.

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For more information contact:
Daniel J. Morast
International Wildlife Coalition
70 East Falmouth Highway
East Falmouth, Massachusetts 02536
www.iwc.org

Joanna Benn
Communications Manager
WWF Global Species Programme
www.panda.org/species/iwc

A joint NGO briefing on the IWC's Conservation Committee

2005-06-07

At its 55th Annual Meeting in 2003, the International Whaling Commission voted to establish a Conservation Committee. The adoption of Resolution 2003-1, the "Berlin Initiative on Strengthening the Conservation Agenda of the International Whaling Commission", was strongly supported by IFAW and other NGOs. The establishment of the Conservation Committee is fully consistent with the first objective of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, namely "the interest of the nations of the world in safeguarding for future generations the great natural resources represented by whale stocks", as well as with the overwhelming part of the work devoted by the Commission to that objective during the previous 25 years.

The Initiative was aimed at organizing, rationalizing and supporting the work of the Commission in the pursuit of its objective by devising an appropriate agenda to place special emphasis on its benefits for conservation ("the Conservation Agenda").

Specifically, Resolution 2003-1 adopted by IWC 55 charged the Conservation Committee with:
(1) the preparation and recommendation to the Commission of its future Conservation Agenda;
(2) the implementation of those items in the Agenda that the Commission may refer to it; and
(3) making recommendations to the Commission in order to maintain and update the Conservation Agenda on a continuing basis

The Resolution further specified that the Committee meet before the 2004 Annual Meeting to organize its work and prepare a draft Conservation Agenda for consideration by the Commission for adoption. The Committee did make tentative steps towards the development of a Conservation Agenda at its first meeting, identifying six items of common interest. There was further progress with discussions on the further Terms of Reference for the Committee and relationships with other bodies within the Commission and with other organisations. The Committee also recorded the desire to move forward through an open and inclusive process. Any decision on further work required to clarify the work of the new Committee rests with the Commission as a whole or its Chair. The report of the Committee was adopted by consensus in plenary at IWC56.

Below, we the undersigned conservation organisations make recommendations about the nature of the Committee and its operation. Following the initial discussions at IWC56 there are still several key areas needing clarification and agreement.

This briefing is offered in support of:
- the ongoing operation of the Conservation Committee under Resolution 2003-1, and
- any intersessional work undertaken to take forward discussion on the Terms and Reference and Conservation Agenda.

Terms of Reference

Differing views were expressed on the ways to move forward with Resolution 2003-1, the definition of 'conservation' and further Terms of Reference for the Committee. These disagreements slowed progress in agreeing a list of priorities issues for the Committee to begin working on. Whilst we hope that Contracting Government's will participate fully in any intersessional discussions on the Terms of Reference etc, these should not be used as a reason to halt progress towards the development of and work under the conservation agenda.

The Committee already has Terms of Reference to guide such work. The consensus report of the Committee recognises Resolution 2003-1 as a legal fact and the basis for the Conservation Committee's operation until such time as it might be modified. This includes the Terms of Reference for the Committee as established by Resolution 2003-1 (listed above).

Conservation Agenda

The report of the first meeting of the Committee notes six key themes to be addressed on the agenda of future meetings and eight items currently being addressed by the Scientific Committee that should be of interest to the Conservation Committee. However, these were not unanimously endorsed and further development is needed.

In light of this, in the Annex to this briefing we make initial suggestions for regular items on the Conservation Agenda. They do not exhaustively cover the threats facing cetaceans but are considered to be areas where the Committee could usefully make progress in the short term. We call for these topics to be discussed and the IWC to agree a Conservation Agenda so that work on the substance of the topics can begin.

The Conservation Agenda will need to be updated and extended over time. It is neither necessary nor feasible to develop an exhaustive agenda at the outset. A reasonable first step is to establish some standing agenda items under which the Committee can develop its programmes of work. New items can be added overtime.

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By - Greenpeace, IFAW, WWF