Amendments to the Schedule to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, London, 1976

________________________________

1 OCTOBER 1976

Our Ref: RG/PRP/113

CIRCULAR COMMUNICATION TO ALL CONTRACTING GOVERNMENTS INTERNATIONAL WHALING CONVENTION 1946

Amendments to the Schedule

The Secretary refers to his circular letters of 2 July, 3 August and 6 August 1976 notifying the Contracting Governments of the amendments to the Schedule of the Convention agreed at the Commission's Twenty-Eighth Annual Meeting.

No objections have been received to the amendments, a consolidated list of which is enclosed, and they therefore become binding on all Contracting Governments from 1 October 1976. The Secretary requests an acknowledgement of this communication, a copy of which is also being sent to all Commissioners.

Dr. R. Gambell Secretary to the Commission

The amendments read as follows:

Paragraph 1

Add the following at the end of the paragraph:

" "small-type whaling" means catching operations using powered vessels with mounted harpoon guns hunting exclusively for minke, bottlenose, pilot or killer whales".

Paragraph 6(a)

Sub-paragraph 4

Amend to read:

"For the 1976/77 pelagic season and the 1977 coastal season in the Southern Hemisphere and for the 1977 season in all other areas ..."

Delete "except for sei whales and Bryde's whales combined in the Southern Hemisphere".

Sub-paragraph 5

Delete whole sentence:

"For sei and Bryde's whales combined in the Southern Hemisphere ... falls short of the MSY stock level."

Sub-paragraph 6

Amend to read:

"The following stocks are classified as Sustained Management Stocks for the 1976/77 pelagic season and the 1977 coastal season in the Southern Hemisphere and for the 1977 season in all other areas:

- Fin whales, North Atlantic (East Greenland-Iceland Stock);

- Sei whales, Southern Hemisphere, Areas I, II, IV, V, VI;

- Minke whales, North Pacific (Western Stock);

- Minke whales, North Atlantic (North American Coast, East Greenland and East Atlantic Stocks);

- Sperm whales, males, Southern Hemisphere, Divisions 3 and 5;

- Sperm whales, females, Southern Hemisphere, Divisions 2, 3, 6 and 7;

- Sperm whales, North Atlantic.

The following stocks are provisionally listed as Sustained Management Stocks for 1977, pending the accumulation of sufficient information for classification

- Fin whales, North Atlantic (North Norway, Spain-Portugal-British Isles Stocks);

- Sei whales, North Atlantic (Iceland-Denmark Strait Stock);

- Minke whales, North Atlantic (West Greenland Stock)."

Paragraph 6(b)

Sub-paragraph 3

Amend to read:

"The following stocks are classified as Initial Management Stocks for the 1976/77 pelagic season and the 1977 coastal season in the Southern Hemisphere and for the 1977 season in all other areas:

- Fin whales, North Atlantic (Newfoundland-Labrador Stock);

- Bryde's whales, Southern Hemisphere, all Areas;

- Bryde's whales, North Pacific;

- Minke whales, Southern Hemisphere, all Areas;

- Minke whales, North Pacific (except the Western Stock);

- Sperm whales, males, Southern Hemisphere, Divisions 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8;

- Sperm whales, females, Southern Hemisphere, Divisions 1, 5 and 8;

- Sperm whales, males, North Pacific;

- Sperm whales, females, North Pacific."

Paragraph 6(c)

Sub-paragraph 2

Amend to read:

"There shall be no commercial whaling on species or stocks whilst they are classified as Protection Stocks. The following stocks are classified as Protection Stocks for the 1976/77 pelagic season and the 1977 coastal season in the Southern Hemisphere and for the 1977 season in all other areas:

- Blue whales, all oceans;

- Humpback whales, all oceans;

- Right whales, all oceans;

- Gray whales, all oceans;

- Fin whales, Southern Hemisphere, all Areas;

- Fin whales, North Pacific;

- Fin whales, North Atlantic (West Norway-Faroe and Nova Scotia Stocks);

- Sei whales, Southern Hemisphere, Area III;

- Sei whales, North Pacific;

- Sei whales, North Atlantic (Nova Scotia Stock);

- Sperm whales, males, Southern Hemisphere, Divisions 7 and 9;

- Sperm whales, females, Southern Hemisphere, Divisions 4 and 9."

Paragraph 11

Delete the first two sentences and the footnote.

Amend to read:

"The number of baleen whales taken during the open season in the Southern Hemisphere by factory ships, land stations or whale catchers attached thereto under the jurisdiction of the Contracting Governments shall not exceed 1,863 sei whales and 8,900 minke whales and 0 Bryde's whales (pending a satisfactory estimate of stock size), in the 1976/77 pelagic season and the 1977 coastal season. The total catches taken in any of the Areas I to VI shall not exceed the limits shown below. However, in no circumstances shall the sum of the Area catches exceed the total quotas for each species:

Paragraph 12

Amend to read:

"The number of whales taken in the North Pacific Ocean and dependent waters in 1977 shall not exceed the following limits:

- Sperm whales, males, 4,320;

- Sperm whales, females, 2,880;

- Bryde's whales, 1,000;

- Minke whales (Western Stock), 541;

- Minke whales (remainder of the North Pacific), 0 pending a satisfactory estimate of stock size."

Paragraph 13

Amend to read:

"The number of whales taken in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1977 shall not exceed the following limits:

- Fin whales, Newfoundland Stock, 90;

- Fin whales, North Norway Stock, 61;

- Minke whales, North American Stock, 48;

- Minke whales, West Greenland Stock, 325;

- Minke whales, East Greenland Stock, 320;

- Minke whales, East Atlantic Stock, 1,790;

- Sei whales, Iceland-Denmark Strait Stock, 132;

- Sperm whales, 685.

The total catch of fin whales from the East Greenland-Iceland Stock shall not exceed 1,524 in the six years 1977 to 1982 inclusive, and the total catch in any one year shall not exceed 304."

Paragraph 14

Amend to read:

"The number of sperm whales taken in the Southern Hemisphere in the 1976/77 pelagic season and the 1977 coastal season shall not exceed 3,894 males and 897 females. The total catch in any of the Divisions 1 to 9 shall not exceed the limits shown below. However, in no circumstances shall the sum of the Division catches exceed total quotas.

Paragraph 15(c)

Add the following:

"It is forbidden to take or kill any sperm whale over 45 feet (13.7 metres) in length in the Southern Hemisphere north of 40°S latitude during the months of October to January inclusive."

Paragraph 21

Add new sub-paragraph as follows:

"(d) A record similar to that described in sub-paragraph (b) of this paragraph shall be maintained by "small-type whaling" operations conducted from shore or by pelagic fleets, and all of this information mentioned in the said sub-paragraph shall be entered therein as soon as available."

Paragraph 23 (paragraph 1, section (c))

Amend line 7 to read:

"... each whale treated in the factory ship, land station or "small-type whaling" operations as to the date and approximate ..."

Paragraph 23 (paragraph 2, section (b))

Add new section as follows:

"(v) Any modifications of the above measures or data from other suitable indicators of fishing effort for "small-type whaling" operations."