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THE MARINE MAMMAL COMMISSION COMPENDIUM

MULTILATERAL / MARINE MAMMALS
Volume(s) 1-3; pages 1444-1447


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Amendments to the Schedule to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, London, 1959


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Done at London 1 July 1959


Entered into force 4 October 1959 except for those Amendments which entered into force 3 January 1960


Primary source citation: 11 UST 32, TIAS 4404


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INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION 3, WHITEHALL PLACE, LONDON, S.W.1 Telephone: TRAFALGAR 7711 (Extension 383) Chairman: R. G. R. WALL (U.K.) Vice-Chairman: G. R. CLARK (Canada) Secretary: R. S. WIMPENNY. 2ND JULY, 1959

Reference No.: AS XI

Circular letter to all Contracting Governments International Whaling Convention, 1946 Amendments to the Schedule

SIR,

I write to say that the Eleventh Meeting of the Commission was concluded in London on Wednesday, 1st July, 1959. Various decisions were taken at the meeting and these will be communicated to you separately.

It is important, however, that you should be notified without delay of the amendments to the Schedule to the International Whaling Convention 1946 which the Commission decided to make at that meeting.

They are as follows:-

Paragraph 1(a) Voting Yes 9 No 0 Abstain 3

At end of paragraph substitute semi-colon for full stop and add ‘provided that inspectors need not be appointed to ships which, apart from the storage of products, are used during the season solely for freezing or salting the meat and entrails of whales intended for human food or feeding animals.’

Paragraph 4(1) Voting Yes 7 No 0 Abstain 5

Delete paragraph 4(1) and substitute ‘4(1) It is forbidden to kill blue whales in the North Atlantic Ocean for five years ending on 24th February, 1965’. Delete asterisked footnote on page 2 of Schedule dated 12th March, 1959. Paragraph 5 Voting Yes 8 No 0 Abstain 6

After ‘8th November 1958’ delete remainder of sentence and substitute ‘and again as a result of the Eleventh Meeting in London was rendered inoperative for a period of three years from 8th November 1959’.

Paragraph 6(3) Voting Yes 7 No 1 Abstain 6

Delete ‘1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th February in any year’ and insert ‘for four days commencing 20th January in any year’.

Paragraph 7(a) Voting Yes 6 No 1 Abstain 7

Delete ‘7th January’ and substitute ‘28th December’.

Paragraph 16 Voting Yes 9 No 0 Abstain 3

Delete in third line from bottom of paragraph ‘(b) The number and aggregate gross tonnage of the whale catchers’. and substitute ‘(b) The number of whale catchers, including separate totals for surface vessels and aircraft and specifying, in the case of surface vessels, the average length and horse power of whale catchers.’

Paragraph 17(c) Voting Yes 9 No 0 Abstain 3

Add the following:- ‘(4) on the Pacific coast of the United States of America between 35 degrees North Latitude and 49 degrees North Latitude.’

By virtue of the provisions of Article V of the International Whaling Convention, 1946, each of these amendments will become effective with respect to each Contracting Government ninety days following this notification of the amendments to each Contracting Government, unless any Contracting Government presents an objection to the Commission, in which case the procedure in Article V(3) has to be followed.

The ninety day period referred to will be deemed to have expired at 2400 hours on 4th October, 1959 and, in the absence of objection by that date, the amendments will then become effective and you will be notified accordingly.

No action was taken in connection with the blue whale unit limit (Paragraph 8(a) of the Schedule) and in the 1959/60 season this limit will therefore be fifteen thousand blue whale units. The words in Paragraphs 8(a) and (c) of the Schedule which relate only to the 1958/59 season will therefore be omitted when the Schedule is reprinted.

It is particularly requested that you will acknowledge the receipt of this letter, a copy of which is being sent to each of the fifteen Commissioners.

I am, Sir,

Your obedient servant,

R S WIMPENNY Secretary to the Commission

INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION 3, WHITEHALL PLACE, LONDON, S.W.1 Telephone: TRAFALGAR 7711 (Extension 383) Chairman: R. G. R. WALL (U.K.) Vice-Chairman: G. R. CLARK (Canada) Secretary: R. S. WIMPENNY. 7TH OCTOBER, 1959

Ref: AS XI

Circular letter to all Contracting Governments International Whaling Convention, 1946 Amendments to Schedule

The Secretary refers to his letter of 2nd July, 1959, and now writes to inform you that no objections were received up to 4th October, 1959, to the amendments to paragraphs 1(a), 5, 6(3), 7(a), 16 and 17(c) of the Schedule to the Convention. These amendments, which for convenience are set out overleaf, therefore come into force as from that date.

As stated in the Secretary's letter of 1st October, 1959, however, the amendment to paragraph 4(1) of the Schedule forbidding the killing of blue whales in the North Atlantic for five years ending on 24th February, 1965, was the subject of objection by the Icelandic Government on 29th September, 1959. This amendment therefore, remains inoperative at least until midnight on 2nd January, 1960. A copy of this letter is being sent to all Commissioners.

Paragraph 1 (a) At end of paragraph substitute semi-colon for full stop and add ‘provided that inspectors need not be appointed to ships which, apart from the storage of products, are used during the season solely for freezing or salting the meat and entrails of whales intended for human food or feeding animals.’

Paragraph 5

After ‘8th November 1958’ delete remainder of sentence and substitute ‘and again as a result of the Eleventh Meeting in London was rendered inoperative for a period of three years from 8th November, 1959’.

Paragraph 6(3) Delete ‘1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th February in any year’ and insert ‘for four days commencing 20th January in any year’.

Paragraph 7 (a) Delete ‘7th January’ and substitute ‘28th December’.

Paragraph 16

Delete in third line from bottom of paragraph ‘(b) The number and aggregate gross tonnage of the whale catchers’, and substitute ‘(b) The number of whale catchers, including separate totals for surface vessels and aircraft and specifying, in the case of surface vessels, the average length and horse power of whale catchers.’

Paragraph 17 (c) Add the following:- ‘(4) on the Pacific coast of the United States of America between 35 degrees North Latitude and 49 degrees North Latitude.’

INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION 3, WHITEHALL PLACE, LONDON, S.W.1 Telephone: TRAFALGAR 7711 (Extension 383) Chairman: R. G. R. WALL (U.K.) Vice-Chairman: G. R. CLARK (Canada) Secretary: R. S. WIMPENNY. 6TH JANUARY, 1960. Ref: AS X1

Circular letter to all Contracting Governments International Whaling Convention, 1946 Amendments to Schedule

The Secretary refers to his letter of 1st October, 1959 about the objection of the Icelandic Government to the amendment the Commission decided to make at the Eleventh Meeting to Paragraph 4(1) of the Schedule.

As a result of the objection of the Icelandic Government the amendment remained inoperative for a second period of 90 days ending at midnight on 2nd January, 1960. No further objections have been received and the amendment, which for convenience is set out below, therefore came into operation from 3rd January, 1960 in respect of all Contracting Governments with the exception of the Icelandic Government.

Amendment to Paragraph 4(1) of Schedule:-

delete the existing paragraph and substitute ‘It is forbidden to kill blue whales in the North Atlantic Ocean for five years ending on 24th February, 1965*’. Delete the footnote on page 2 of the Schedule and insert ‘*This paragraph was objected to within the prescribed period ending 4th October, 1959 by the Government of Iceland. The objection was not withdrawn and the paragraph came into force on 3rd January, 1960 but is not binding on Iceland.’

A copy of this letter is being sent to all Commissioners.