- International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling is an international agreement (see
environmental agreement ) signed in 1946 in order to "provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry". [ [http://www.iwcoffice.org/commission/convention.htm The Convention ] ] It governs the commercial, scientific, and aboriginal subsistence whaling practices of fifty-nine member nations.It was signed by 42 nations in
Washington, D.C. onDecember 2 1946 and took effect onNovember 10 1948 . Its protocol (which represented the first substantial revision of the convention and extended the definition of a "whale-catcher" to include helicopters as well as ships) was signed in Washington onNovember 19 1956 . The convention is a successor to the International Agreement for the Regulation of Whaling, signed inLondon onJune 8 1937 , and the protocols for that agreement signed in London onJune 24 1938 , andNovember 26 ,1945 .Objectives are protection of all whale species from
overhunting , establishment of a system of international regulation for the whale fisheries to ensure proper conservation and development of whale stocks, and safeguarding for future generations the great natural resources represented by whale stocks. The primary instrument through which these aims were followed was the establishment of theInternational Whaling Commission . The commission has made many revisions to the schedule that makes up the bulk of the convention, reflecting changing economical, ecological and commercial standards.ignatories
Nations signed up to the convention are
Antigua and Barbuda ,Argentina ,Australia ,Austria ,Brazil ,Chile ,China (seat originally belonged to theRepublic of China but was replaced byPeople's Republic of China upon the PRC's entrance into the United Nations),Costa Rica ,Denmark ,Dominica ,Finland ,France ,Germany ,Grenada ,Guinea ,India , Ireland,Italy ,Japan ,Kenya ,South Korea ,Mexico ,Monaco ,Morocco ,Netherlands ,New Zealand ,Norway ,Oman ,Panama ,Peru ,Russia ,Saint Kitts and Nevis ,Saint Lucia ,Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ,Senegal ,Solomon Islands ,South Africa ,Spain ,Sweden ,Switzerland ,United Kingdom and theUnited States .References
* [http://www.iwcoffice.org/commission/convention.htm Text of the Convention at the IWC website]
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