WHEREAS Article VIII of the Convention provides for the issuing by Contracting Governments of special
permits for scientific research and paragraph 7 (b) of the Schedule establishes a sanctuary in the Southern
Ocean;
RECALLING previous resolutions on whaling under special permits adopted by the Commission (1995-9,
1996-7 and 1997-5), relating to lethal scientific research in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean;
NOTING that in 1997 the Commission affirmed that the JARPA and JARPN programmes did not address
critically important research needs for the management of whaling in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific
Ocean;
NOW, THEREFORE, THE COMMISSION:
REGRETS that despite multiple IWC resolutions affirming that these lethal research programmes did not
address critically important research needs, the Government of Japan continues the programmes of lethal
research, particularly in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary.
DIRECTS the Scientific Committee, with respect to all special permit research programmes, to continue to
identify non-lethal methods and alternative sources of data that might be used in meeting the stated research
objectives;
INSTRUCTS the Secretary to notify the Contracting Government concerned if a continuing or proposed
special permit research programme does not meet critically important research needs, as determined by the
Commission in the above resolutions;
NOTES the grave concerns of eminent members of the international scientific community over the
continuation of lethal whale research programmes which were specified in a letter, (IWC/50/17) of 23 January
1998, to the Chairman of the Commission; in particular; “that moral and ethical isssues are properly raised
when:
A single research programme results in over 2,500 cetaceans being killed over 8 years, with the prospect of
another 8 years to come; and
Whale meat and other whale products resulting from lethal scientific whaling are being sold in commercial
markets, while a moratorium on commercial whaling remains in force.”
REQUESTS that the Secretariat undertake, for the next Annual Meeting of the International Whaling
Commission, a comprehensive review of the ethical considerations taken into account by other international
scientific organizations with respect to scientific research;
RECOMMENDS that, if whales are killed under the provisions of Article VIII of the Convention, this should
be done in a manner consistent with the provisions of Section III of the Schedule;
REAFFIRMS its previous request that the Government of Japan refrain from issuing any further permits for
the take of minke whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary and the North Pacific Ocean.

IWC Resolution 1998-3
Resolution On The Southern Ocean Sanctuary
RECALLING that the Commission at its 46th Annual Meeting adopted paragraph 7(b) of the Schedule, which
established the Southern Ocean Sanctuary;
NOTING that this provision is to be reviewed ten years after initial adoption and at succeeding ten-year
intervals;
AWARE of the Scientific Committee’s request for advice from the Commission with respect to commonly
agreed objectives for the Southern Ocean Sanctuary (Chairman’s Report of the 49th Annual Meeting, p.29);
FURTHER AWARE of the Scientific Committee’s desire to prepare in advance for the anticipated review in
2004 (IWC/50/4);
RECOGNISING the progress made in this area by the Standing Working Group on Environmental Concerns
(SWGEC);
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
AFFIRMS that the agreed objectives of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary are to provide for:
1. The recovery of whale stocks, including the undertaking of appropriate research upon and monitoring of
depleted populations;
2. The continuation of the Comprehensive Assessment of the effects of setting zero catch limits on whale
stocks; and
3. The undertaking of research on the effects of environmental change on whale stocks;
DIRECTS the Scientific Committee to give high priority to implementing the recommendations of the Norfolk
Island Intersessional Meeting of the Working Group on a Sanctuary in the Southern Ocean (Rep. Int. Whal.
Commn 45, 1995); and in the context of those recommendations specifically to:
INCREASE cooperation with governmental, regional and other international organisations working on related
issues in the Southern Ocean;
FURTHER develop and support existing international and national non-lethal cetacean research in the
Sanctuary which will contribute to the conservation objectives of the Sanctuary;
PROVIDE the Commission with a long term framework for non-lethal research, including multidisciplinary
research, on environmental changes and their impact on cetaceans in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, so that the
Commission is able to make appropriate decisions to ensure effective conservation of whale stocks in that
region;
ENSURE that this work conforms with the provisions relating to sanctuaries, and that it will clearly contribute
to the review of the Sanctuary in 2004;
GIVE priority to those proposals for non-lethal research which will address conservation and management
objectives for the Sanctuary in a time frame consistent with contributing to the review in 2004 and beyond.

RECALLING that one of the remaining elements of the Revised Management Scheme to be completed
consists of “arrangements to ensure that total catches over time are within limits set under the RMS” (IWC
Resolution 1996-6);
FURTHER RECALLING the general agreement in the 1997 RMS Working Group that “in setting catch limits
the Commission should, as far as possible, use the CLA [Catch Limit Algorithm] to determine the allowable
removal and then take account of all known human–induced mortalities including aboriginal subsistence
whaling, scientific whaling, whaling outside the IWC, bycatches, ship strikes and other non-natural removals”
(Rep. int.Whal.Commn 49: item 12.1.2);
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
AGREES that the catch limits calculated by the Scientific Committee in accordance with the Revised
Management Procedure as part of an agreed Revised Management Scheme represent the total allowable
removal;
FURTHER AGREES that catch limits for commercial purposes for any species of whale in any region shall be
calculated by deducting all human-induced mortalities that are known or can be reasonably estimated, other
than commercial catches, from the total allowable removal;
REQUESTS the Scientific Committee to provide advice in this regard for the Commission's consideration for
inclusion in the Revised Management Scheme.

The International Whaling Commission
HAVING ESTABLISHED zero catch limits for commercial whaling in paragraph 10 (e) of the Schedule;
CONCERNED that the Government of Norway, having lodged an objection to paragraph 10 (e) of the
Schedule, has unilaterally authorised commercial whaling on minke whales;
CONCERNED ALSO that, despite IWC Resolutions 1995-5, 1996-5 and 1997-3 calling on the Government of
Norway to halt immediately all whaling activities under its jurisdiction, Norway has again increased the quota
it sets for commercial whaling;
REAFFIRMING its view that commercial whaling should not take place while paragraph 10 (e) of the
Schedule remains in force.
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
CALLS UPON the Government of Norway to reconsider its objection to paragraph 10 (e) of the Schedule and
to halt immediately all whaling activities under its jurisdiction.

RECALLING that in 1990 the Commission requested the Japanese Government to urgently consider the advice
from the Scientific Committee concerning the Dall's porpoise stocks exploited in the Japanese hand harpoon
fishery, to reduce catches to pre-1986 levels, and to consider further reductions in take when new stock
assessments became available;
NOTING that 8 years have elapsed since the Scientific Committee's last review in 1991, during which time:
(i) over 115,000 Dall's porpoises have been taken in the fishery, with catches tending to increase in recent
years;
(ii) concerns have been raised in the Scientific Committee about the unpublished 1990 abundance estimate, on
which the Government of Japan has based its domestic quota;
(iii) the potential for significant bycatch has been identified;
(iv) a more systematic approach to precaution, within the Scientific Committee and within other national and
international bodies charged with the conservation of small cetaceans, has led to significant reductions in
the rates of removals considered safely sustainable;
CONSIDERING that the Scientific Committee has in 1999 reiterated its concerns over the status of the exploited
stocks;
NOTING that the Scientific Committee has offered advice to the Government of Japan on Dall's porpoise in the
past, and that such advice has led to very positive responses from the Government;
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
WELCOMES the plans of the Japanese Government to conduct abundance surveys, encourages further genetic
studies, and looks forward to continued cooperation with, and exchange of information between, the Scientific
Committee and the Government of Japan;
DIRECTS the Scientific Committee to review the status of the impacted stocks in the 53rd Annual Meeting;
ENCOURAGES the Government of Japan to make available the data identified by the Scientific Committee as
relevant for such a review, in sufficient time to allow analysis before the 53rd Annual Meeting;
INVITES the Government of Japan meanwhile to reconsider the level of its domestic quota, in the light of the
concerns identified above.

RECALLING that the Commission is developing a Revised Management Scheme that will require regular
updates on relevant new methods and technologies for the inspection and monitoring of commercial whaling
operations;
NOTING that one of the most promising of these technologies is DNA-based identification of market products
and genetic typing of known catches;
THE COMMISSION NOW THEREFORE:
REQUESTS the Scientific Committee to establish an agenda item to provide annual reports on progress in the
following areas:
a) Genetic methods for species, stock and individual identification;
b) Collection and archiving of tissue samples from catches and by-catch;
c) Status of and conditions for access to reference databases of DNA sequences or microsatellite profiles derived
from directed catches, by-catch, frozen stockpiles and products impounded or seized because of suspected
infractions.
AND FURTHER REQUESTS the Scientific Committee to provide advice to the Commission on the
development and implementation of a transparent and verifiable system of identification and tracking of products
derived from whales taken under the RMP, and to provide a means to differentiate such products from those
taken outside the RMP.

RECALLING THAT the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling recognises the interests of the
nations of the world in safeguarding the great natural resources represented by the whale stocks;
NOTING THAT the following small populations, (numbering 500 or less), of great whales remain highly
endangered from previous over-exploitation and some are threatened with extinction:
The Okhotsk Sea and Spitsbergen stocks of bowhead whales;
The Eastern Canadian Arctic (the Baffin Bay/Davis Strait and the Hudson Bay) stocks of bowhead whales;
The Western North Pacific stock of gray whales;
All four Northern stocks of right whales; and
Various blue whale stocks in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres;
FURTHER NOTING that some of these small populations have been subjected in recent years to direct takes
and anthropogenic sources of mortality, including by-catches and ship strikes;
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
WELCOMES the initial agenda for the 2000 meeting of the Scientific Committee at which the status and trends
of small populations of highly endangered great whales will be discussed and the summary findings reported to
the Commission;
ENCOURAGES member and non-member governments to send appropriate representatives and documents to
the next meeting of the Scientific Committee to facilitate this work;
CALLS UPON all governments whose nationals have in recent years taken whales from any of these populations
of highly endangered whales to refrain from authorising any further takes until the Scientific Committee
concludes that adequate scientific advice is available to demonstrate that such takes will not cause a continued
threat to the survival or recovery of these populations;
REQUESTS that the Secretariat transmit the text of this Resolution to the Government of Canada.

WHEREAS it is the purpose of the International Whaling Commission to provide for the effective conservation
and management of whale stocks;
WHEREAS the IWC is the universally recognised competent international organisation for the management of
whale stocks;
ACKNOWLEDGING with satisfaction that all species of whales in the Schedule to the IWC have been listed in
Appendix I of CITES (with the exception of the West Greenland stock of minke whales, which is listed in
Appendix II by CITES) pursuant to and in recognition of the establishment of zero catch limits for commercial
whaling agreed by the Contracting Governments to the IWC, and other decisions of the IWC relating to the
status of great whale species;
WHEREAS by virtue of the inclusion of these species in CITES Appendix I and Resolution Conf. 2.9, CITES
requires that Parties not issue any import or export permits for commercial trade in any whale stocks for which
the IWC has set zero catch limits;
WELCOMING the recent decision by the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES to uphold
CITES Resolution Conf. 2.9;
WELCOMING as well the recent decisions of the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to CITES
(Decisions 10.40 - 10.43) that recognised the need for international co-operation in monitoring and controlling
the illegal trade in whale meat;
RECOGNISING that the IWC has made progress toward completing the Revised Management Scheme,
specifically by the endorsement of the Revised Management Procedure, by the revision of the requirements and
guidelines for conducting surveys and analysing data within the Revised Management Scheme, and by the
clarification of arrangements to ensure that total catches over time are within the limits that would be set under
the Revised Management Scheme;
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
RECOGNISES that the IWC management regime prior to the establishment of zero catch limits for commercial
whaling led to the global demise of the whale stocks;
FURTHER RECOGNISES that the IWC has not completed the necessary measures to ensure that commercial
whaling catch limits are not exceeded, that whale stocks can be adequately protected, and that all whaling by
IWC member countries is brought under effective IWC monitoring and control;
RECOGNISES the important role of CITES in supporting the conservation of whale stocks and the IWC’s
management decisions, and reaffirming the importance of continued co-operation between CITES and IWC;
RECOGNISES as well the important role of CITES in detecting illegal trade in whale meat through inclusion of
whale species in CITES Appendix I;
EXPRESSES its appreciation to the Conference of the Parties to CITES for its continuing reaffirmation of the
relationship between CITES and the IWC;
DIRECTS the Secretariat, when the IWC is requested to provide comments on any proposal submitted by a
CITES Party to transfer any whale species or stock from Appendix I to II, to advise the CITES Conference of the
Parties that the IWC has not yet completed a revised management regime which ensures that future commercial
whaling catch limits are not exceeded and whale stocks can be adequately protected;
FURTHER DIRECTS the Secretariat to advise the CITES Conference of the Parties that zero catch limits are
still in force for species of whales which are managed by the International Whaling Commission.
INSTRUCTS the Secretariat to send a copy of this resolution to the CITES Secretariat.

RECALLING the directives by the Commission to the Scientific Committee and its Standing Working Group on
Environmental Concerns (SWGEC) to consider and act on all priority areas for assessing the impact of
environmental change on cetaceans;
NOTING that, while it has identified a number of priority areas that need to be addressed in future years, the
SWGEC has agreed to focus on one or two priority topics for consideration at each meeting in order to ensure
maximum effectiveness of the working group;
NOTING that, at the 51st Annual Meeting, the SWGEC identified, and the Scientific Committee strongly
endorsed, its research priorities as:
(1) SOWER 2000, a collaborative, interdisciplinary, international survey programme in the Southern Ocean with
CCAMLR and Southern Ocean GLOBEC; and
(2) POLLUTION 2000+, an interdisciplinary programme of work to investigate pollutant cause-effect
relationships in cetaceans;
RECOGNISING that, in order to research and provide recommendations to the Commission on these topics, as
well as additional priorities, the Scientific Committee will need additional funds to allow it to initiate research
programmes and to invite participants with relevant expertise in these priority areas; and
RECALLING that the Commission has agreed that the Scientific Committee should develop a co-operative
research programme that will enable it to provide advice to the Commission on stock structure and abundance of
fin and minke whales off West Greenland
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION:
ENDORSES the SOWER 2000 and POLLUTION 2000+ research programmes recommended to it by the
Scientific Committee;
DECIDES to provide £126,000 from its budget for 1999/2000 as core funding for research on environmental
threats to cetaceans, of which £100,000 shall be withdrawn from the Commission reserves;
URGES Contracting Governments, other governments, international organisations and other bodies to contribute
financially and in kind to these programmes;
DIRECTS the Chairman of the Scientific Committee to ensure that scientists with relevant expertise in the
priority areas of the SWGEC are adequately represented in the list of Invited Participants to the Scientific
Committee; and
AGREES to the feasibility study recommended by the Scientific Committee concerning research into fin and
minke whales off West Greenland and, in the light of the results, to give due priority to research on these issues
in 2000/2001 and subsequent years.

NOTING that while the consumption of cetacean products may have positive health effects, scientific evidence
demonstrates that some communities may be faced with health problems arising from the high levels of organic
contaminants and heavy metals present in those products in their diet;
RECALLING that IWC Resolution 1998-11 expressed the Commission’s concern about human health effects
from the consumption of cetaceans, invited Contracting Governments to submit information to the IWC and
asked the Secretariat to correspond with the WHO and other appropriate authorities;
NOTING that regulatory limits for contaminants in food are set by competent national and international
authorities;
NOTING that the Scientific Committee is the appropriate body to review and provide to the competent
authorities information relevant to the health of cetaceans relating to chemical contaminant burdens;
NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION
CALLS ON relevant countries to take measures to reduce pollution that may cause negative health effects from
the consumption of cetacean products;
AGREES to keep under review, under the permanent Agenda Item on Environmental Concerns, all effects on
Human Health from the consumption of cetacean products;
REQUESTS the Scientific Committee to receive, review and collate data on contaminant burdens in cetaceans
and forward these as appropriate to the WHO and competent national authorities, and to report on this matter to
the Commission;
ENCOURAGES Contracting Governments, other countries and relevant organisations to continue to forward
relevant data concerning contaminants in cetaceans to the Scientific Committee;
INSTRUCTS the IWC Secretariat to send this Resolution to the WHO Secretariat.