Abstract
Whales, or cetaceans, are probably some of the most iconic species in international discourse, having provided countless generations worldwide with awe and wonder. Not surprisingly, oftentimes ‘the whale’ is considered as being protected under international law, meaning that any sort of whaling is considered to be illegal. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is thus perceived as being the watchdog over this alleged prohibition on whaling.
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Notes
- 1.
Convention for the Regulation of Whaling of 24 September 1931 (155 LNTS 349).
- 2.
Dorsey (2013), p. 66.
- 3.
International Agreement for the Regulation of Whaling of 8 June 1937 (190 LNTS 79).
- 4.
Regulations for Maritime Hunting Operations in the Waters of the South Pacific , 18 Aug 1952.
- 5.
ICRW, art. IV.
- 6.
IWC (1973), p. 38.
- 7.
Miller and Dolšak (2007).
- 8.
Taniai (2018)
- 9.
Morikawa (2013)
- 10.
ICR (2011).
- 11.
Prime Minister of Japan and his Cabinet (2018).
- 12.
ICRW, article VIII (1).
- 13.
Antarctic Treaty, art IV c).
- 14.
Fitzmaurice and Tamada (2014).
- 15.
ICRW, Schedule (1950), para. 2.
- 16.
Bockstoce (2018).
- 17.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples , 107th Plenary Meeting, 13 Sept 2007.
- 18.
Freeman and Akimichi (1988).
- 19.
International Convention for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries , 8 Feb 1949 (157 UNTS 158).
- 20.
Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area .
- 21.
Agreement for the Creation of a Sanctuary for Marine Mammals ; original in French Accord Relatif à la Création en Méditerranée d'un Sanctuaire pour les Mammifères Marins, 25 Nov 1999.
- 22.
Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region and Action Plan , UNEP/CMS/PIC-1/Inf/3, 15 Sept 2006.
- 23.
Hoyt (2011), p. 46.
- 24.
Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas, 17 March 1992 (1772 UNTS 217).
- 25.
Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia , 8 Oct 2008.
- 26.
Convention for Co-operation in the Protection and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the West and Central African Region , 23 Mar 1981 (20 ILM 746).
- 27.
Fitzmaurice (2015), pp. 298–300.
- 28.
Freeman et al. (1998), p. 143.
- 29.
Inuvialuit Inupiat Beaufort Sea Beluga Whale Agreement , 3 Mar 2000.
- 30.
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , 14 Apr 1994 (55 UNTS 194).
- 31.
Agreement for the Conservation of Dolphins , 21 Apr 1992.
- 32.
Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program, 21 May 1998.
- 33.
WWF (2009).
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Further Reading
Epstein C (2008) The power of words in international relations. Birth of an anti-whaling discourse. The MIT Press, Cambridge
Friedheim RL (ed) (2001) Toward a sustainable whaling regime. University of Washington Press, Seattle
Gillespie A (2005) Whaling diplomacy. Defining issues in international environmental law. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham
Stoett PJ (1997) The international politics of whaling. UBC Press, Vancouver
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Sellheim, N. (2020). The International Legal Framework for Whales. In: International Marine Mammal Law. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35268-4_5
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