Whaling Laws and Treaties
Existing Policy
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Overview
The International Whaling Commission (IWC), formed from the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), oversees the conservation and management of whales worldwide. In the US, the Whaling Convention Act governs the domestic implementation of the ICRW.
Take Action: Stop Congress from Gutting the Marine Mammal Protection ActInternational Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
The ICRW was signed in 1946 and took effect in 1948. A 1956 protocol broadened the scope of the convention’s enforcement.
Its overall objectives included protecting whale species from overhunting, establishing international regulations to conserve and develop whales and protect future generations of whales as a natural resource.
Its primary initial outcome was the creation of the IWC. The IWC is one of the earliest international bodies focused on wild species. At first, it comprised a small group of industrial whaling nations solely focused on maximizing exploitation amid intense global competition for whale oil. Nevertheless, the ICRW empowered the IWC to undertake research and collect data related to whales and methods used to kill them. Specifically, Article IV. 1 of the ICRW provides that the IWC “may encourage, recommend or organize studies and investigations relating to whales and whaling.”
The ICRW also requires the IWC to adopt measures to improve the efficiency of whaling methods and equipment. In particular, Articles V.1 (f) and (e) permit the IWC to “amend the Schedule to prohibit or specify the types of gear and apparatus to be used in whaling operations” as well as to adopt regulations “fixing the … methods and intensity of whaling.”
Whaling Convention Act
In 1949, the United States implemented the ICRW—along with the IWC management measures (which would include the future commercial whaling moratorium)—into US domestic law via the 1949 Whaling Convention Act. This law authorizes the United States to participate in the IWC, including appointing a commissioner, and provides the legal basis for issuing permits for aboriginal subsistence whaling to US nationals, prohibiting unauthorized whaling, and collecting data.
Take Action for Marine Wildlife
Stop Congress from Gutting the Marine Mammal Protection Act
For over 50 years, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) has safeguarded marine mammals from harm, preventing population declines and accelerating their recovery. By aiming to ensure that these animals remain at sustainable levels and continue to play vital roles in their ecosystems, the MMPA has been instrumental in marine conservation. Yet, despite its successes and long-standing bipartisan support, the law faces the most serious threat in its long history—draft legislation that, if enacted, would gut its core protections at a time when marine mammals need them most. Please write your members of Congress and urge them to defend this bedrock law and the remarkable species it protects.
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