Source: "Whaling in the North Atlantic - Economic and Political Perspectives," Ed. Gudrun Petursdottir, University of Iceland, 1997, ISBN 9979-54-213-6. Proceedings of a conference held in Reykjavik on March 1st, 1997, organized by the Fisheries Research Institute and the High North Alliance.
IWC
The International Whaling Commission is an international organisation that
regulates whaling pursuant to the International Convention for the Regulation
of Whaling (ICRW) signed in 1946. The Convention’s objective is “to
provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible
the orderly development of the whaling industry.”
In 1982 IWC adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling. Norway lodged an
objection to the moratorium, and is therefore not bound by this decision.
Iceland, which did not object to the moratorium, withdrew from the IWC
in 1992. Canada withdrew in 1982. Denmark represents the Faroe Islands
and Greenland. There are 39 contracting governments to the Convention.
NAMMCO
The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission is a regional international
management body established in 1992. The members are Iceland, Greenland,
Norway and the Faroe Islands; Canada, Denmark, Japan, Namibia and Russia
participate as observers. So far NAMMCO has not given management advice
on large whale species such as the minke, sei and fin whale. However, in
1995 sighting surveys (NASS 95) were conducted under the auspices of NAMMCO,
and in March 1997 updated abundance estimates for a number of whale species
(including the large whales) in the North Atlantic will be reviewed by
the NAMMCO Scientific Committee.
CITES
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species regulates international
trade in whale products by listing different species on two main appendices.
Species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I, and international
trade is not permitted. Appendix II contains species not immediately threatened
with extinction, but which may become so unless trade is subjected to strict
regulations. In 1983 many whale stocks and species were listed on Appendix
I; one exception is the West Greenland minke whale stock.
A Norwegian proposal to downlist minke whale in 1994 was defeated. Norway
and Japan have proposed to downlist several whale stocks at the CITES meeting
in Harare in June 1997. Again, the proposal was defeated, albeit with a
smaller margin than before.
Iceland is not a member of CITES.
PELLY
The Pelly Amendment, a US domestic law, allows the US President to impose
trade sanctions against any state that diminishes the effectiveness of
an international conservation program. Canada, Iceland, Japan, Norway and
Russia have all been threatened with economic sanctions due to their whaling
activities, but the US President has each time decided not to impose the
sanctions. In December 1996 US threatened Canada with sanctions due to
the taking of two bowhead whales. Canada claims that any sanction will
be in violation of GATT/WTO, and if sanctions are imposed Canada will make
a complaint to WTO.
UNCLOS
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Article 65: “States
shall co-operate with a view to the conservation of marine mammals and
inthe case of cetaceans shall in particular work through the appropriate
international organizations for their conservation, management and study.”