October 2014: The International Whaling Commission (IWC) released its October Bulletin, which features news and updates on developments at the 65th meeting of the IWC (IWC65), a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) on the conservation of the North Pacific gray whale, concern regarding the vaquita population and workshops on entanglement response, among other items.

IWC65 adopted a programme of work and resolutions on aboriginal subsistence whaling, highly migratory cetaceans, civil society participation and transparency, the Scientific Committee and whaling under special permit. At IWC65, Japan, the Russian Federation and the US signed a MoC on the North Pacific gray whale that commits to a Conservation Plan to reduce incidental mortality and enhance international cooperation.

The US and Mexico issued a joint statement on action on the vaquita, the world’s most endangered marine mammal species, at IWC65. The statement notes that half of the vaquita population has been killed in fishing nets over the past three years and urges action to prevent the species “imminent extinction, possibly by 2018.” The statement recommends, inter alia: coordinated enforcement to protect the vaquita and combat the illegal capture and trade of totoaba; adoption of technologies to replace gillnets; socioeconomic measures, including economic incentives and career opportunities for affected fishermen; and continued acoustic monitoring research to assess the vaquita population.

The bulletin also reports that approximately 50 individuals have been trained in entanglement response techniques at a series of three workshops. Two workshops took place in Mexico, focusing on advanced techniques and tools to strengthen Mexico’s entanglement response capacity, while the third workshop included participants from Tonga and Vanuatu.

The Bulletin also highlights collaboration between the IWC and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and an IWC-POWER research cruise that focused on Bryde’s, fin and sei whales. [Joint Statement by Mexico and the US on the Vaquita] [IWC Press Release on Research Cruise] [IISD RS Story on IWC65] [IISD RS sources]