Welcome to the IWC
The International Whaling Commission is the global intergovernmental body charged with the conservation of whales and the management of whaling. It is set up under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling signed in 1946. The Commission has a current membership of 89 Governments from countries around the World.
In 1986 the Commission introduced zero catch limits for commercial whaling. This provision is still in place today, although the Commission continues to set catch limits for aboriginal subsistence whaling.
As well as keeping whale catch limits under review, the Commission works to promote the recovery of depleted whale populations by addressing a range of specific issues. These include ship strikes, entanglement events, environmental concerns and establishing protocols for whalewatching.
The pages on this website provide detailed information about the Commission, its meetings, decisions and its current work to conserve and manage whale populations throughout the world.
News from the IWC
IWC POWER Research Cruise
13 Jun 2013
The IWC co-ordinates and directs a major research programme, POWER (North Pacific Whale and Ecosystem Research). The report of the 3rd research cruise has been submitted to the IWC Scientific Committee, meeting on Jeju Island, Republic of Korea.... Read More
Latest Circulars
2013 Scientific Committee Meeting
Member Map
A map showing all the member countries
Key to map:
= current
member,
= former member
(click sides of map to scroll)
Latest Commission Reports
Latest CC Reports
Entanglement
Ship Strikes
Whale Watching
