21 January 2016: The January 2016 International Whaling Commission (IWC) Bulletin highlights IWC’s efforts to address entanglement response and mass strandings, as well as to promote sustainable whalewatching in Indian Ocean rim countries. The Bulletin also provides an update on IWC’s planned engagement with the Arctic Council and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in 2016.

In 2015, IWC held entanglement response trainings in Chile, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Oman. The Oman workshop was the first to combine entanglement and stranding response training. IWC also continued to facilitate international collaboration across regional and national stranding programmes in 2015, including the promotion of data sharing and mutual aid for large stranding events.

Also in 2015, the Commission addressed marine debris, ocean noise and other issues through increased collaboration with IMO, including participation in the IMO 29th Assembly and a joint IMO-Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) workshop on illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, as well as through meetings with the IMO Marine Environment Division.

As part of it work on aboriginal whaling, IWC has finalized a Strike Limit Algorithm (SLA), a mathematical calculation for establishing sustainable limits for aboriginal whale hunts, for the fin whale. The SLAs require separate calculations for each species in each region. IWC made progress on establishing a SLA for minke whale hunts, which are considered the most complex whale hunt in Greenland. IWC’s Scientific Committee is expected to review the SLAs at its 2016 meeting.

In February 2016, IWC will participate in a meeting with the International Ocean Rim Association on sustainable whale and dolphin tourism, hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka and supported by the Government of Australia and Murdoch University. The meeting is expected to address potential economic benefits and ecological impacts from whale and dolphin tourism, share best practices and develop an action plan for countries to work towards best practices. Also in February, an IWC Expert Panel will review the final results of the Japan’s Special Permit programme in the Antarctic (JARPA II), a programme on which IWC member Governments were not able to reach agreement, as documented on IWC’s website. [IWC News Bulletin] [IWC Website on Whalewatching] [IWC Website on Special Permits] [IISD RS Story on Entanglement Response] [IISD RS Story on Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling]