The IWC was established in 1946 as the global body responsible for management of whaling and conservation of whales. Today the IWC has 88 member countries. The mandate has not changed but many new conservation concerns exist and the IWC work programme now also includes bycatch & entanglement, ship strikes, ocean noise, pollution and debris, and sustainable whale watching.
13 Aug 2023
Members of the Scientific Committee are meeting in Greece for a technical workshop as part of an In-depth Assessment for minke whales in the western North Pacific.
7 Aug 2023
Following a highly competitive recruitment process, the IWC has appointed Martha Rojas-Urrego as the new Executive Secretary.
7 Aug 2023
The plight of the vaquita porpoise has led to the first ever IWC Extinction Alert, a factual assessment that vaquita still have a chance - if a gillnet ban is immediately and effectively enforced.
3 Aug 2023
The 14th international research cruise in the IWC-POWER series has departed from Shiogama, Japan.
2 Aug 2023
The Aboriginal Subsistence Whaling Committee of the IWC has awarded a contract to conduct a survey of international indigenous and human rights instruments.
Whaling, conservation & welfare issues including whale watching and small cetaceans.
International Whaling Commission
The Red House, 135 Station Road, Impington, Cambridgeshire, CB24 9NP
+44 (0) 1223 233 971
secretariat@iwc.int
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