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.
23 days ago
The IWC Scientific Committee begins its annual meeting today. This will be the third virtual gathering of the Committee since the start of the global pandemic in 2020, and the Committee has worked hard to minimise the impact of Covid-19 on its busy and challenging agenda.
17 Mar 2022
In April, the IWC is holding a workshop on the Socio-Economic Values of the Contribution of Cetaceans to Ecosystem Functioning. Guest speakers and participants include social scientists and economists as well as specialists in marine ecology and cetacean biology.
7 Mar 2022
In December, the Scientific Committee held the fifth in a series of workshops on climate change. An expert group gathered virtually to review the latest scientific research and assess both observed and predicted effects of climate change on cetaceans, including on their prey and habitats.
1 Dec 2021
The IWC commemorates its 75th anniversary on December 2nd 2021. The Commission and its wider network of collaborators, supporters and observers will again come together virtually to reflect on an evolutionary 75 year journey and the challenges faced today and into the future.
26 Nov 2021
The fifth in a series of climate change workshops begins on 29 Nov. Reflecting the importance of the subject, it is the first IWC expert workshop to be live streamed on the Commission's YouTube channel.
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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