Austria Joins IWC to Put Stop to Whaling

This year, Austria attended the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for the first time as a member. In the June edition of the magazine “Umvelt Schitz”, Austrian minister of the environment, Rauch Kalats, stated that by way of its IWC membership, Austria would work to reduce whaling quotas to zero and to transform the whaling agreement to a preservation agreement. The current objective of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling is “to provide for the conservation, development and optimal utilization of whale resources.” This agreement forms the basis of the Whaling Commission. According to the agreement, the decisions of the Commission are to “be based on the scientific findings” and “take into consideration the interests of the consumers of whale products and the whaling industry.” q