2004 ANNUAL MEETING Sorrento, Italy
Annual
Meeting The Annual Meeting took place from 19-22
July 2004 at the Hilton Hotel in Sorrento, Italy.
Due to the recent illness of the Chair, Com. Henrik
Fischer (Denmark) and the absence of the Vice-Chair
Carlos Dominguez Diaz (Spain) due to a change in his
domestic responsibilities, the meeting was
administered by an acting Chair, Rollie Schmitten
(USA) and acting Vice-Chair, Minoru Morimoto
(Japan). Delegates thanked the Government of Italy
for the excellent facilities provided.
The
associated meetings of the Scientific Committee and
Commission Committees and Working Groups were held
at the same venue during the preceding three weeks.
REVISED MANAGEMENT SCHEME
Although the Commission
has accepted and endorsed the
Revised Management
Procedure (RMP) for commercial whaling, it has noted
that work on a number of issues, including
specification of an inspection and observer system
must be completed (called the
Revised Management
Scheme) before the Commission will consider
establishing catch limits other than zero. A
proposal to take the RMS process forward was
developed intersessionally by the Chair of the
Commission. A Resolution (2004-6) aimed at trying to
have draft text ready for consideration and possible
adoption and/or to identify any outstanding policy
and technical issues next year was passed by
consensus.
SANCTUARIES
Proposals for sanctuaries in
the South Pacific (26 for, 21 against, 4
abstentions) and South Atlantic (26 for, 22 against,
4 abstentions) failed to gain the necessary
three-quarters majorities to be adopted. Similarly a
proposal to delete the provision for the Southern
Ocean Sanctuary and to include a catch limit of
2,914 Antarctic minke whales was not adopted (19
for, 30 against, 2 abstentions).
CATCH LIMITS FOR
COMMERCIAL WHALING
In 1982, the Commission took a
decision, which came into force from the 1986 and
1985/86 seasons, that catch limits for all
commercial whaling would be set to zero. Norway has
lodged objections to the ban and has exercised its
right to set national catch limits for its coastal
whaling operations for minke whales. The Commission
did not adopt proposals by Japan for catch limits of
100 minke whales (24 for, 28 against, 1 abstention)
and 150 Bryde’s whales (22 for, 29 against, 2
abstentions) to be taken by coastal community-based
whaling. However, the Commission passed a Resolution
(2004-2) by consensus to work to resolve this issue.
CATCH LIMITS FOR ABORIGINAL SUBSISTENCE WHALING
The
Scientific Committee has continued to make progress
towards developing new management regimes for
aboriginal subsistence whaling; this work has been
given high priority by the Commission. This year,
the Commission endorsed and adopted a new long-term
scientific approach to providing advice on strike
limits for gray whales; this follows on from the
similar approach adopted for bowhead whales two
years ago. The Scientific Committee will now work to
produce a similar approach for the Greenlandic
aboriginal subsistence whaling fisheries, where to
date, the Committee is concerned that it has never
been able to provide management advice.
The present
catch limits are in force for aboriginal subsistence
whaling and no changes were made to these this year.
Bowhead whales – up to 280 whales may be landed in
the period 2003 – 2007, with no more than 67 whales
struck in any year (and up to 15 unused strikes may
be carried over each year).
Eastern North Pacific gray whales – A total catch of 620 whales is allowed
for the years 2003 – 2007 with a maximum of 140 in
any one year.
West Greenland fin whales – An annual
catch of 19 whales is allowed for the years 2003 –
2007.
West Greenland minke whales – The annual
number of whales struck for the years 2003-2007,
shall not exceed 175 (up to 15 unused strikes may be
carried over each year).
East Greenland minke whales
– An annual catch of 12 whales is allowed for the
years 2003 – 2007 (up to 3 unused strikes may be
carried over each year).
Western North Atlantic
Humpback whales – For the seasons 2003-2007 the
number of humpback whales to be taken by the Bequians of St. Vincent and the Grenadines shall not
exceed 20.
The Schedule language was consolidated
and harmonised.
STATUS OF WHALES
Despite a long
period of protection, several populations of great
whales remain highly endangered and number 500 or
less. These include all bowhead whale stocks apart
from the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas stock that
numbers over 10,000; gray whales in the western
Pacific (those in the eastern Pacific, by contrast,
number over 17,000); all stocks of northern right
whales; and various stocks of blue whales. Some of
the small Arctic bowhead populations are subjected
to direct catches outside IWC regulations (a bowhead
was taken in 2002 by Canadian Eskimos), or are
killed by ship strikes or are bycaught in fishing
gear. The Commission has attached great importance
to trying to improve the survivorship of these
stocks. In particular, this year the Commission
adopted a Resolution (2004-1) on the critically
endangered Western North Pacific Gray whales by
consensus.
SCIENTIFIC PERMITS
Two proposed
permits by Japan
were considered. One is an extension of its
continuing programme in the Southern Hemisphere (now
400±10% minke whales from the Antarctic). The second
is for a long-term research programme primarily
aimed at feeding ecology in the context of
contributing to the ‘conservation and sustainable
use of marine living resources in the western North
Pacific, especially within Japan’s EEZ.’ The
programme proposes the taking of 150 minke whales,
50 Bryde’s whales, 50 sei whales and 10 sperm whales
in the western North Pacific. A proposed permit by
Iceland, primarily for feeding ecology studies for
100 common minke whales, 100 fin whales and 50 sei
whales in each of two years was presented last year;
only a permit for 39 common minke whales was issued.
Again, different views on the value of this research
were expressed in the Scientific Committee. Last
year the Commission passed a
Resolution urging
countries to terminate or not to commence special
permit catches (24 in favour, 21 against and 1
abstention). It also passed a Resolution asking
Japan not to continue its special permit catches of
Antarctic minke whales (24 in favour, 21 against, 1
abstention). As this resolution is still in force
and in order to save time, Australia and other
co-sponsors withdrew a similar proposed Resolution
this year.
WHALE KILLING METHODS AND ASSOCIATED
WELFARE ISSUES
In 1998, the Commission passed a
Resolution that encouraged nations to supply
relevant data on killing times and related issues in
future years and also to provide technical
assistance to reduce time to unconsciousness and
death in aboriginal subsistence fisheries. This
year, the Commission passed a Resolution (29 for, 22
against) (2004-3) requesting further work from the
Working Group on Whale Killing Methods and
Associated Welfare Issues.
CONSERVATION COMMITTEE
Last year, the Commission passed a Resolution to
establish a Conservation Committee, comprising of
all members of the Commission. This year, the
Conservation Committee met to determine its terms of
reference and modus operandi.
ANTARCTIC CRUISES
The
Commission congratulated the scientists and crews
who had completed the the Third set of circumpolar
cruises under the Commission’s long-standing
SOWER
programme and thanked the Government of Japan for
generously providing the vessels.
BYCATCHES
Given
that incidental captures of cetaceans (both large
and small) is one of the most serious threats to
their status in many parts of the world, the
Commission has agreed that it will promote a series
of regional workshops to develop both short- and
long-term approaches to the successful management
and mitigation of the cetacean bycatch problems in
those regions. The first of these will be held in
Argentina in 2005 and will address the franciscana,
in collaboration with other appropriate
international and regional organisations.
SMALL
CETACEANS
Notwithstanding the different views of member
countries over the legal competence of the IWC to
manage small cetaceans, many Contracting Governments
continue to co-operate in the consideration of small
cetacean issues, particularly with respect to the
work of the Scientific Committee.
NEW OFFICERS
The Commission elected Horst Kleinschmidt (South Africa) as the new Vice-Chair.
FUTURE MEETINGS
The 2005 meetings will take place in Ulsan, Republic of Korea. The 2006 meetings will be
held in St Kitts and Nevis. |
