International Whaling Commission

The International Whaling Commission is an intergovernmental body established by the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling to conserve whale stocks and regulate whaling.

Whaling moratorium: The Commission’s 1982 decision to pause commercial whaling, effective from the 1985–86 season. The moratorium is the Commission’s most consequential limit on commercial catches.
International whaling regulation: Cooperation among states to set rules for hunting whales across national jurisdictions and shared waters. The Commission emerged from earlier attempts to restrain competition among whaling nations.
Commercial whaling: Whaling conducted primarily to sell whale products for profit. The Commission’s moratorium sharply restricted this industry, though exceptions and objections remain.
International Seabed Authority: An intergovernmental organization that regulates mineral-related activities in the international seabed area. Unlike the Commission, it governs a shared global commons through a distinct law-of-the-sea treaty.
Whaling in Iceland: The history and practice of whale hunting in Iceland, including its changing participation in international whaling agreements. Iceland’s objections and reservations test how effectively Commission rules bind dissenting members.
International Whaling Commission Schedule: The binding set of whaling rules adopted and amended by the International Whaling Commission under its founding convention. Schedule amendments let the Commission set catch limits, seasons, and protected areas.
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling: A 1946 treaty that created the International Whaling Commission and provides the framework for international whaling regulation. The treaty was signed in response to depleted whale stocks and unstable whaling practices.
Aboriginal subsistence whaling: Whaling by Indigenous communities for subsistence and cultural purposes, recognized under specific Commission rules. The Commission allows limited quotas for some Indigenous communities under this category.
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora: A multilateral treaty that regulates international trade in listed wild animals and plants and their products. CITES controls trade in whale products, while the Commission regulates whaling itself.
Whaling in Norway: The history and practice of whale hunting in Norway, which has continued commercial whaling under an objection to the moratorium. Norway’s objection illustrates the convention’s limits on enforcing Commission decisions.

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