The Pew Commission on Whale Conservation in the 21st Century met from 9-10 February 2009, in Lisbon, Portugal, and was the third major meeting of the Pew Whale Conservation Project.

The Pew Whales Commission was established to advance possible solutions that will enhance whale conservation and help the International Whaling Commission (IWC) resolve some of the complex issues on its agenda. The Lisbon meeting brought together 13 Pew Whales Commission members and around 25 observers, who evaluated diplomatic remedies and areas of agreement and disagreement relating to the IWC and its constituent instrument, the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). Despite some strongly-held positions on both sides of the debate, consensus was reached on a number of important issues, including: that the best way forward would be not to draft an entirely new convention, but rather to develop a protocol to the current Convention that modernizes both the IWC and the ICRW; and the need for high-level participation in the IWC’s Annual Meetings to help move the issue forward. Areas of disagreement included: the possibility of officially permitting small-type coastal whaling in Japan; ceasing all whaling operations in the Southern Ocean; and bringing scientific whaling under the authority of the IWC Scientific Committee, rather than that of individual States.
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