ICRW46
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling is an international agreement and the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) founding document. The Convention includes a legally binding Schedule and sets out catch limits for commercial and aboriginal subsistence whaling as well as specific measures that the IWC decided to be necessary in order to regulate whaling and conserve whale stocks. These measures include catch limits by species and area, designating specified areas as whale sanctuaries, protection of calves and females accompanied by calves, and restrictions on hunting methods. The Schedule can be amended and updated with an at least three quarters majority agreement whenever the Commission meets. Changes to the schedule could be important in case of new information from the Scientific Committee and variations in the requirements of aboriginal subsistence whalers. The aim of the Convention is to provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and make the orderly development of the whaling industry possible. The convention was signed by 15 nations in Washington D.C. on December 2, 1946 and entered into force on November 10, 1948.