The International Whaling Commission was established by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, which was signed in Washington, DC, on December 2, 1994. Its headquarters is in Cambridge, United Kingdom, and it is the international organization in charge of managing whaling and whale conservation. The objective of the International Whaling Commission is to ensure the proper conservation of whale stocks and, in turn, enable the industry's orderly growth. This article will explain to you about International Whaling Commission which will be helpful in preparing the Environment Syllabus for the UPSC Civil Service exam.

International Whaling Commission - Background

• When the Basques started hunting and exchanging the items from the northern right whale, whaling as a business got its start around the eleventh century (now one of the most endangered of the great whales).
• The Dutch and the British came next, then the Americans, the Norwegians, and many other countries.
• The invention of steam-powered ships, which made it possible to hunt blue and fin whales faster, as well as the explosive harpoon, which allowed for greater reach and more precision, revolutionized the whaling industry in the late nineteenth century.
• In a single year, 43,000 whales were reportedly killed.
• In an effort to regulate the industry, many governments gathered throughout the 1930s as species after species of the big whales were being hunted to the point of extinction.
• The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) was finally ratified in 1948.

What is International Whaling Commission?

• The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established in 1946 as the global body in charge of whale management and conservation.
• It is an intergovernmental organisation that currently has 88 governments from all over the world as members.
• The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling serves as the IWC's legal framework.
• Although the mandate has not changed, many new conservation concerns have emerged, and the IWC work programme now includes bycatch and entanglement, ship strikes, ocean noise, pollution and debris, and sustainable whale watching.
• Whaling is classified into three types under the Convention: commercial, aboriginal subsistence, and special permit (also known as scientific) whaling.
• The Commission continues to regulate Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling, which is carried out by indigenous communities in remote areas around the world.
  • Regulation of aboriginal whaling has always been and continues to be a core responsibility of the Commission. It takes into account nutritional and cultural needs and is supported by a rigorous scientific process.
• There is a separate category of special permit whaling for scientific research purposes in the Convention.
  • Special permit whaling is governed by national governments rather than the Commission, though none currently engage in this type of whaling.

International Whaling Commission - Functions

The functions of the International Whaling Commission are as follows:

• It identifies specific locations as whale sanctuaries.
• The IWC imposed restrictions on the quantity and size of whales that may be caught.
• It establishes open and closed whaling seasons and territories.
• It forbids the capture of female whales carrying calves and nursing calves.

IWC - Members

• Membership in the IWC is open to any country that formally ratifies the 1946 Convention.
• Each Contracting Government is a member country that is represented by a Commissioner who is assisted by experts and advisers.
• Since 2001, the number of IWC members has doubled, with an average of nearly six new states joining the organization annually from 2002 to 2008.
• Currently there are 88 governments from all over the world as members.
• Non-parties and intergovernmental organizations are also permitted to attend meetings and be represented by observers under the IWC's rules of procedure.
• The IWC sessions are open to non-governmental organizations with offices in more than three nations.

IWC - Main Duties

• To continue monitoring and revising as necessary the rules outlined in the Convention's Schedule that control how whaling is done worldwide.
• To guarantee complete protection for particular species;
• To designate particular areas as whale sanctuaries;
• To impose restrictions on the quantity and size of whales that may be taken;
• To specify open and closed seasons and areas for whaling;
• To outlaw the capture of female whales carrying calves and suckling calves.
• It is also necessary to compile catch reports and other statistical and biological records.
• By addressing a variety of specific issues, the Commission works to promote the recovery of depleted whale populations. These include ship strikes, entanglement events, environmental concerns, and the establishment of whale watching protocols.

IWC - Structure

• The Commission's work is divided into six committees, each of which is made up of a number of sub-groups.
• Some of these sub-groups are long-term standing committees, while others are formed to complete a specific task.
• Commissioners, other members of national delegations, or subject matter experts from the IWC community chair the groups.

Scientific Committee

• The emphasis on scientific advice is an important feature of the Convention, and the Scientific Committee is the oldest, largest, and most developed of the IWC Sub-Groups.
• It is made up of approximately 200 leading cetacean scientists from various countries (both national delegates and invited experts), the vast majority of whom attend the Scientific Committee's main annual meeting.
• In addition, a number of intersessional workshops and working groups are formed each year to address specific issues.
• The Scientific Committee has yearly meetings and has created algorithms for catch limits that offer sustainable and prudent catch limits for both commercial and subsistence whaling.

Conservation Committee

• On environmental and conservation issues, the Conservation Committee collaborates closely with the Scientific Committee.
• Its work includes initiatives to reduce the frequency of ship strikes, strategic development of the whale watching industry, and the development of Conservation Management Plans.
• It also receives new whale sanctuary proposals and national reports on cetacean conservation.

Finance and Administration Committee

• The Finance and Administration Committee makes recommendations to the Commission on expenditure, budgets, contribution scales, financial regulations, and staffing.
• This Committee recently reviewed the Commission's governance arrangements and implemented new measures to increase transparency, save money, and improve the way the Commission operates.

Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Sub-committee

• The Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Subcommittee considers information from both the Scientific Committee and aboriginal subsistence whaling communities to advise the Commission on issues of sustainability and aboriginal communities' reliance on specific whale stocks.
• This data serves as the foundation for Commission discussions about appropriate management measures.

Working Group on Whale Killing Methods and Welfare Issues

• Although the Commission has been working on this topic since the 1950s, the Working Group on Whale Killing Methods and Welfare Issues was formally established in 2000 to advise the Commission on the humaneness of whale killing methods.
• Its role has expanded to include other welfare issues such as stranded whale euthanasia and entanglement in debris and fishing gear.

Infractions Sub-committee

The Infractions Subcommittee considers matters and documents pertaining to the monitoring of member governments' compliance with the Schedule to the 1946 Convention, as well as penalties for infractions.

IWC - Funding

• The IWC is primarily supported by contributions from member governments.
• Governments, non-governmental organizations, and industries also make voluntary contributions to specific research, conservation, welfare, and aboriginal subsistence whaling programmes.
• All IWC member governments make annual financial contributions. The size of the contribution varies by government and is determined by three factors:
  • their delegation size at the most recent biennial Commission meeting;
  • any whaling activity they may have engaged in;
  • the ability of the government to pay
• The General Fund, the Meeting Fund, and the Scientific Committee Research Fund are the three main areas of Core Funding.
  • General Fund: The primary function of the General Fund is to support the IWC Secretariat.
  • Meeting Fund: This fund supports the Commission's biennial meetings as well as the annual meetings of the IWC's Scientific Committee.
  • Research Fund: The Scientific Committee of the IWC is in charge of allocating these funds to address the Commission's scientific research priorities.

IWC - Conservation Management Plans

• The IWC's Conservation Management Plans (CMPs) are an important conservation initiative.
• They provide a framework for countries within the range of vulnerable cetacean populations (known as range states) to work together to protect and rebuild those populations, in collaboration with other relevant stakeholders.
• Cetaceans are threatened by a variety of factors such as fishing bycatch, entanglement, ship strikes, habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and acoustic disturbance.
• CMPs are adaptable management tools that assist range of states in dealing with these threats. They draw on the best available science and management expertise from around the world and can be tailored to meet individual needs.
• The Standing Working Group on CMPs manages the CMP program in accordance with the principles outlined in the CMP work plan.
• The work plan outlines priorities for existing and future CMPs, as well as development and implementation guidelines.
• During the 2016-18 intersessional period, the CMP work plan was reviewed, and a revised work plan was approved by the Commission at IWC67 in September 2018.
• Each CMP has several interconnected stages: nomination, development, implementation, monitoring, and review.
• Four vulnerable cetacean populations have CMPs in place: the Western North Pacific Gray Whale, the Western South Atlantic Southern Right Whale, the Eastern South Pacific Southern Right Whale, and the Franciscana dolphin (the first CMP for a small cetacean species).

Priority Species for future CMPs

• In 2010, the Arabian Sea humpback whale population was proposed as a possible candidate for the development of a CMP.
• The International Union for Conservation of Nature has classified the population as endangered, with less than 100 individuals believed to exist.
• Severe scarring from entanglement, coastal infrastructure developments, offshore hydrocarbon exploration, the possibility of unregulated whale-watching, and the planned start of new shipping routes, and increased shipping traffic through known habitats are all causes for concern, making the population an ideal candidate for a CMP.
• In accordance with the Scientific Committee's recommendations, research on this population has continued, as have efforts by scientists and non-governmental organizations to establish a regional initiative to coordinate conservation efforts for the population.
• During a workshop in Dubai in 2015, an Arabian Sea Humpback Whale Network was formed. The network has been used to exchange information as well as to highlight research and conservation efforts in various range states.
• The Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species agreed on a Concerted Action for the population in October 2017, which included the development of a CMP.
• Oman, India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Ecuador, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the IWC Secretariat all issued statements in support.
• The IWC will build on these developments and will continue to work with relevant range states to encourage and support the development of a population CMP.

IWC - Whale Sanctuary

• The International Whaling Commission has established the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary in 1994, enclosing the Antarctic continent.
• The IWC outlaws all forms of commercial whaling in the area which it designates as the Whale Sanctuary.
• So far, the IWC has only designated two such sanctuaries.
• Another is Seychelles, a tiny island republic, which operates the Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary.

IWC - Loopholes, Evasions, and Threats

• Despite the prohibition, the IWC convention has gaps that permit commercial whaling to go on.
• Any member country may file an objection to an IWC decision within 90 days, in accordance with IWC procedures, and be excused from that decision.
• Norway officially objected to the moratorium in 1982 and is no longer subject to it. In the North Atlantic, it keeps on whale-hunting.
• In spite of leaving the IWC in 1992, Iceland returned in 2003 with a reservation regarding the moratorium. In 2006, commercial whaling was reintroduced.
• Under a provision of the IWC treaty that permits nations to slaughter whales for "scientific research," Japan engages in commercial whaling in the Antarctic and North Pacific.
• In the Antarctic in 1987 and the North Pacific in 1996, this "scientific whaling" first started.
• Japan has often been asked by the IWC not to conduct this "research," but according to IWC regulations, Japan is free to do so and establish its own quotas.
• This "research whaling" produces packaged meat that is offered for sale.

IWC - Regulation of Whaling

The Commission typically controls three forms of whaling: commercial, scientific research, and aboriginal subsistence whaling.

Commercial Whaling

• Due to the overexploitation of whale stocks, a global moratorium, or temporary ban, on commercial whaling, was enacted in 1986.
• Additionally, the Commission has established protected zones in the Southern and Indian Oceans, where commercial whaling is prohibited.
• Some nations, including Norway and Iceland, continue to engage in commercial whaling activities despite the ban still being in effect.
• Norway opposes the moratorium, and Iceland has a reservation to the moratorium that permits it to do so.

Scientific Research Whaling

• Governments signing the contract have the authority to provide special licenses allowing the taking of whales for scientific research under Article VIII of the Convention.
• In 2019, Japan withdrew from the Convention, putting a stop to its harmful scientific research in the Southern and North Pacific Oceans under such a special license.

Subsistence Whaling

• The Commission oversees indigenous subsistence whaling as well (whaling by native people to sustain themselves).
• Currently, the Commission permits this kind of whaling on specific whale stocks by indigenous groups in Denmark (Greenland), the Russian Federation, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the United States.
• In order to ensure that the catch limits imposed by the Commission suit the needs of the indigenous people in Alaska and Washington State, the United States cooperate with domestic legislative requirements.

Conclusion

There have been concerns that the IWC is under dangerous pressure as a result of the disagreement between those who want to resume using whales and those who want to safeguard all whales. Environmentalists contend that the IWC should focus far more of its attention on problems like whales being struck by ships, the results of pollution and climate change, and the pressures that threaten to extirpate species like the baiji (or Yangtse river dolphin). Unfortunately, it was said by the IWC that it cannot at this time and so the hunting bottleneck needs to be cleared first.

FAQs

MCQs

1. What is the primary objective of the International Whaling Commission (IWC)?

A) Promote commercial whaling
B) Regulate international fisheries
C) Conserve whale populations and regulate whaling
D) Eliminate all whaling activities

2. Which of the following countries continues commercial whaling despite the IWC's moratorium?

A) United States
B) Japan
C) Canada
D) Australia

3. What is a major challenge to the International Whaling Commission (IWC)?

A) Lack of funding
B) Political conflicts between pro-whaling and pro-conservation nations
C) Overfishing of marine resources
D) Poor public awareness about whaling

4. What is the IWC's moratorium on commercial whaling?

A) A ban on all whaling activities worldwide
B) A temporary suspension of whaling by specific countries
C) A complete prohibition on all forms of whaling since 1986
D) A system of quotas for sustainable whaling

5. Which of the following is a key responsibility of the International Whaling Commission?

A) Conducting research on marine ecosystems
B) Regulating commercial fishing in the oceans
C) Regulating the trade of whale products
D) Regulating whaling and conserving whale populations

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Analyze the role of the International Whaling Commission in regulating whaling and ensuring the conservation of whale species. How effective has it been in achieving its objectives?

Answer: The IWC has played a crucial role in regulating whaling practices and ensuring the conservation of whale populations. Its moratorium on commercial whaling, implemented in 1986, has contributed to the recovery of several whale species that were previously on the brink of extinction. The IWC also establishes annual quotas, implements research programs, and provides recommendations on whale sanctuaries and conservation strategies. However, its effectiveness is undermined by countries that continue to engage in whaling under the guise of scientific research or cultural practices. While the IWC has made significant strides in whale conservation, its ability to enforce its regulations remains limited, particularly against countries that resist its decisions.

Q2: Discuss the challenges to international cooperation in the protection of whales. How can these challenges be addressed?

Answer: The main challenges to international cooperation in the protection of whales include conflicting interests between pro-whaling and pro-conservation nations, the lack of enforcement power for the IWC, and the scientific uncertainty regarding whale populations and ecosystems. Some countries, such as Japan, Iceland, and Norway, continue to whale despite international opposition, citing cultural or scientific reasons. To address these challenges, there must be a stronger commitment to global cooperation, backed by binding international agreements and sanctions for non-compliance. Additionally, improving scientific research on whale populations and increasing awareness about the ecological importance of whales can help align interests for the common goal of conservation.

Q3: Evaluate the impact of climate change on whale populations and the work of the International Whaling Commission in managing these impacts.

Answer: Climate change poses several threats to whale populations, including altered migratory patterns, disruptions in food sources, and changing ocean temperatures that affect whale habitats. These challenges complicate the IWC’s efforts to manage whale populations and ensure their long-term survival. The IWC must adapt its conservation strategies to account for the effects of climate change by promoting the protection of critical whale habitats and incorporating climate considerations into its policies. International collaboration and increased funding for research on the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems are necessary to safeguard whale populations in the face of environmental change.

Previous Year Questions on the IWC and Whale Conservation

1. UPSC CSE Prelims 2020:

Question: Which of the following countries is a prominent proponent of commercial whaling despite the moratorium by the International Whaling Commission?

A) South Korea
B) Norway
C) Australia
D) United States

Answer: (B)

Explanation: Norway has continued to engage in commercial whaling despite the IWC’s moratorium on commercial whaling, citing cultural and economic reasons.

2. UPSC CSE Mains 2019 (GS Paper 3):

Question: "Evaluate the role of international organizations like the International Whaling Commission in marine biodiversity conservation and their limitations."

Answer: The IWC has contributed significantly to the protection of whale species through its moratorium on commercial whaling and the establishment of whale sanctuaries. However, its efforts are limited by non-compliance from certain nations, lack of enforcement power, and the emergence of new threats like climate change. Strengthening international cooperation and integrating environmental concerns into its policies can enhance its effectiveness in marine biodiversity conservation.