Each year, over 80 scientists from around the world gather to discuss and assess the status of the world's whale stocks. They form the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission and report to that body before it agrees regulations for the coming year. The series, which has recently been superseded, contained:

1. details of all management decisions taken by the Commission;
2. the Report of the Scientific Committee and its sub-committees;
3. up to sixty papers written by biologists from up to twenty countries; the papers concern all aspects of cetacean biology (including both the great whales and the smaller cetaceans), from population dynamics, ecology and behaviour, to stock assessment, age determination and genetics;

ALL PAPERS PUBLISHED AFTER 1980 WERE SUBJECTED TO ANONYMOUS PEER REVIEW.

`…..[this] excellent report series…' RANDALL REEVES, MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE

PLEASE NOTE: Annual Reports 33, 38 and 47 are currently out of print. Although it was our intention, and still is our preference, to reprint these volumes, current constraints (on time, financial and staff resources) make it impossible to predict with any certainty when this will be possible.

In addition to the Annual Meetings, the Scientific Committee from time to time holds meetings or organises symposia and workshops on special topics (e.g. age determination, reproduction, photo-identification and genetics). The reports and papers of these are generally published in our commended Special Issue Series
ALL PAPERS ARE SUBJECT TO ANONYMOUS PEER REVIEW

• Wildlife;
• Nutrition;
• Cultural Anthropology;

Although largely called in response to the Alaskan bowhead whale fishery the volume also contains valuable information on the Greenlandic fisheries.

This volume represents the fruits of a fascinating combination of biological and historical research. There is a rich treasure of biological information residing in the thousands of whaling logbooks and journals and other historical documents dating back as far as the 16th century. Thus aside from there clear historical interest, these records can make, and and indeed have already made, a positive contribution to the present day conservation and management of whales. The seventeen papers in the volume show just how valuable and productive such studies can be.

`A unique contribution' CAN. J. FISH AQUAT. SCI.
`This well-produced volume is therefore a valuable reference and an important addition to [earlier] work' POLAR RECORD.

This volume remains an essential part of any cetologist's library.

The 38 peer reviewed papers cover the following topics:

• Reviews of cetacean reproduction;
• Problems and new approaches in methodology;
• Case studies of populations;
• Density dependence;
• Morphology, behaviour and physiology;

`A valuable resource of information.' BIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS

ED. G.P. DONOVAN.
1986 i-v + 282PP ISBN 0 906975 15 8 – OUT OF STOCK

The origins of this volume lay in the first workshop to bring together cetologists studying behaviour and those studying population dynamics and management – two disciplines that had sadly kept themselves rather too much apart. This served two important purposes:

• it showed management scientists how current behavioural knowledge could assist them in their work;

• it suggested new areas of behavioural research that would materially assist future management of whale stocks.

The papers are divided into four sections:

1. a review of aspects of cetacean behaviour in the light of current behavioural thought on other mammalian species;
2. methodological studies incl. acoustics and other benign methods;
3. species specific studies, particularly bowhead and gray whales;
4. a review of photographic mark-recapture methods for estimating population size;

`A fine volume for the perusal of terrestrial mammalogists as well as our more aquatically oriented kin.' MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE

EDS R.L. BROWNELL JR & G.P. DONOVAN.
1988 i-ix + 344PP. ISBN 0 906975 17 4

The four species of the genus Cephalorhynchus are among the least known of the dolphins. This volume draws together current knowledge on the biology of these small, strikingly patterned dolphins:

• Commerson's dolphin – Cephalorhynchus commersonii
• Black dolphin – Cephalorhynchus eutropia
• Heaviside's dolphin – Cephalorhynchus heavisidii
• Hector's dolphin – Cephalorhynchus hectori

`A classic volume that should be included in every library….' AQUATIC MAMMALS

EDS R.L. BROWNELL JR, P.B. BEST & J.H. PRESCOTT
1986 i-viii + 289pp ISBN 0 906975 16 6 – OUT OF STOCK

Right whales were the first whales to be taken by a regular, organised whaling industry (the Basques in the 12th century), the first to be brought close to extinction by man's activities and the first to be protected by international agreement. The North Atlantic right whale is probably the most endangered species of large whale in the world today. However in contrast to its Northern Hemisphere counterparts, Southern Hemisphere right whales are now showing positive signs of recovery in several areas, notably Argentina, South Africa and Australia. The 24 papers in this volume cover many aspects of right whale biology and conservation. They are grouped under four headings:

1. North Pacific Ocean
2. North Atlantic Ocean
3. Southern Hemisphere
4. Historical Whaling

`This volume, like the rest of the… series, is a good buy for the cetologist' MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE

As a result of the decision to institute a `pause’ in commercial whaling (also known as `the moratorium’), the IWC Scientific Committee has embarked on a `Comprehensive Assessment’ of the world’s whale stocks. This is intended to be an in-depth evaluation of the status of all whale stocks in the light of management objectives and procedures. It will include an examination of current stock size, population trends, carrying capacity and productivity. This volume documents the progress made in this task up to mid-1989.

`papers of consistent, very high quality .. a commendable example.. I hope many will buy it' REVIEWS IN FISH BIOLOGY AND FISHERIES

EDS P.S. HAMMOND, S.A. MIZROCH AND G.P. DONOVAN.
1990 i-v + 440PP. ISBN 0 906975 23 9 – OUT OF STOCK

• theoretical application of such data to the estimation of abundance and life history parameters;
• guides to handling large data bases of individual recognition data efficiently;
• general reviews of the applicability of such techniques to groups of species, e.g. small cetaceans;
• results from groups of animals that have already been the subject of many years of study;
• early results from studies of species for which it has only relatively recently been realised that photo-identification techniques can be used;
• feasibility studies on new species;
• the use of genetic `fingerprinting' to identify individual animals;

'indispensable handbook and source of thought-provoking ideas….very valuable addition to the library of every marine mammal biologist' MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE

This is in many ways a companion volume to special issue 12 on photo-identification and other individual recognition techniques. It addresses another major new technique being developed to address problems associated with cetaceans and their management..

In October 1989 in La Jolla, California, a Workshop took place that examined the applicability of molecular genetic techniques to studies of cetacean populations, and in particular to the definition of kin-groups, genetic populations and reproductive strategies. The report of this Workshop, published in this volume, is essential reading for those interested in applied population genetics.

In addition to the report section, there are twenty peer-reviewed scientific papers contributed by cetologists and geneticists. These cover subject matter from the collection of samples at sea and their preservation, through individual population studies, to the final section of the book which considers both the theory of interpretation and the applicability of the techniques for the management of cetacean populations. There has been a sense in some quarters that molecular genetic techniques may be a panacea for troubled behavioural ecologists and population biologists. While the reality falls short of this, as shown in this volume these techniques will facilitate substantial advancement when combined with non-genetic approaches.

`to be complimented on providing an informative group of studies… very interesting' HEREDITY

EDS G.P. DONOVAN, C.H. LOCKYER AND A.R. MARTIN.
1993 i-x + 479PP. ISBN 0 906975 27 1

The first (and larger) section of this volume mainly concerns papers arising out of a field programme to examine catches of long-finned pilot whales taken in the Faroese fishery. Some thirteen papers discuss the analyses of the resultant data, including: external characteristics; age determination and growth; genetic studies and social organisation; reproductive biology; feeding and energetics; pollution; and parasitology.

The Faroese studies have provided some fascinating new information about the biology of the pilot whale, particularly in terms of its social organisation and reproductive biology. Other papers on North Atlantic pilot whales examine historical trends in catches, provide the first direct estimates of current population size and information on distribution and fishery interactions.

The final three papers in the volume concern the short-finned pilot whale in the North Pacific.c.

'exemplary results….a worthwhile addition to personal, as well as institutional libraries.' MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE

EDS W.F. PERRIN, G.P. DONOVAN AND J. BARLOW
1994 i-ix + 629pp  ISBN 0 906975 28 X

The papers in the volume are organised into the following sections:

• North Atlantic (incl. Baltic and Mediterranean);
• Central America and Caribbean;
• Western South Atlantic;
• Africa and Indian Ocean;
• Asia and North Pacific Pelagic;
• Eastern North Pacific;
• Southeastern Pacific;
• Causes and Solutions;

'another terrific production from the IWC stable ….. a fascinating and extremely valuable compendium' MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE

EDS A. BJØRGE AND G.P. DONOVAN
1995 i-x + 552pp. ISBN 0 906975 29 8

In addition, human activities impose indirect threats particularly to the coastal porpoises through the detrimental impact on their environment. This includes habitat degradation from pollution, disturbance by ship traffic and boats, noise, physical changes to the habitat and depletion of important prey species by overfishing.

Although the offshore porpoises may face less environmental threats, they have suffered large scale incidental mortality in fishing gear. The Dall’s porpoise has recently been subject to directed fisheries and harvested at unsustainable levels in some areas.

The IWC Scientific Committee has reviewed the biology and status of the porpoises and monitored the threats to these small cetaceans. Recommendations for management and research are made as appropriate by the Committee and its sub-committee on small cetaceans and these are discussed in the introductory remarks for each of the species sections. Many of the papers published in this book have been prepared in response to these recommendations.

Inevitably, perhaps, the majority of papers concern the best studied of the Phocoenid populations, the harbour porpoises in the North Atlantic and the eastern North Pacific. Much of the impetus for these studies has come from the identification of potentially serious levels of incidental fishery mortality in developed nations in Europe and North America. There are papers covering a wide range of topics ranging from abundance estimation through to pollution and energetics.

One species which has attracted widespread interest and concern within the Scientific Committee in recent years is the vaquita. This species has the smallest range of any marine cetacean and numbering only a few hundred is seriously threatened with extinction. The papers in this volume review the limited available biological information and consider the problems of continuing incidental captures despite many attempts at giving complete protection.

The section on Dall's porpoises is relatively short as much of the work on this species has been carried out in connection with the Japanese salmon driftnet fishery. Much of the information on these porpoises has been published in the IWC Annual Reports, Special Issue 15 and in a series of papers published by the International North Pacific Fisheries Commission.

It is particularly edifying to be able to include a number of papers addressing the relatively little studied Burmeister's and spectacled porpoises. This reflects the major increase in studies in South American waters, particularly in response to concerns about their status as a result of both direct and indirect captures.

Sadly, despite evidence of direct and indirect captures around the world, there are no papers on the finless porpoise in this volume, reflecting the absence of research on this species in all but a few areas. A brief summary of the species is included.

The final section of the book includes the report of a workshop held on the age determination of harbour porpoises. Although not an IWC workshop, the report has been presented to the IWC Scientific Committee and it is included here as the results are of importance to studies of many aspects of Phocoenid biology.