IWC launches recruitment for new Executive Secretary
16 Jan 2023
After five busy years, Dr Rebecca Lent has decided to stand down as Executive Secretary in 2023. The Commission is therefore recruiting for Dr Lent’s successor.
Published today: Chair’s Report of the 2022 IWC Meeting
21 Dec 2022
The report of the IWC68 meeting is available now. This was the first gathering of the Commission for four years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A combination of sub-committee and plenary sessions, the meeting was held over nine days and the Chair’s Report summarises the discussions and outcomes.
El Salvador joins the Global Whale Entanglement Response Network
13 Dec 2022
Los Cóbamos, Sonsonate was the location of El Salvador’s first large whale entanglement response workshop, held last month. The training was facilitated by the IWC and conducted by members of the Mexican Whale Disentanglement Network (RABEN) who also provided specialist equipment.
Focus on collaboration and coordination at FAO Regional Secretariat’s Organisation
30 Nov 2022
The IWC is participating in a second regional consultation of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Regional Secretariats’ Network, taking place in Accra, Ghana this week.
Stakeholders gather in Oman to discuss conservation, development and the Arabian Sea humpback whale
28 Nov 2022
The IWC is participating in a workshop in Muscat, Oman that will consider how conservation can complement development in the Arabian Sea, particularly in the context of the Arabian Sea humpback whale.
IWC resumes in-person entanglement response training in Italy
15 Nov 2022
After a 2-year pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the IWC has resumed in-person entanglement response training with the first workshop completed in Chioggia, Italy.
IWC Plenary: Day Five
21 Oct 2022
Focus on budget and administration as the IWC Plenary concludes in Slovenia.
IWC Plenary: Day Four
20 Oct 2022
Summary of developments and decisions on day four of the IWC plenary in Portoroz, Slovenia.
IWC Plenary: Day One
17 Oct 2022
News from the first day of the IWC plenary meeting in Portoroz, Slovenia.
IWC meets for first time in four years
12 Oct 2022
The IWC is gathering in Portoroz, Slovenia for the first full Commission meeting in four years.
Vacancy at IWC Headquarters: Editorial Assistant
3 Oct 2022
The IWC is seeking an Editorial Assistant to work on the long-standing, peer-reviewed Journal of Cetacean Research and Management (JCRM).
IWC Intersessional Report 2018-22
12 Sep 2022
The Intersessional Report of the IWC for the period 2018-22 is available now.
IWC-POWER research cruise sets sail
4 Aug 2022
The 12th international research cruise in the IWC-POWER series embarked today from Shiogama. This is the latest stage in a long-term programme to determine the status of large whale populations found in North Pacific waters, some of which have not been surveyed for several decades.
The cruise programme is an international collaboration aiming to provide essential information, enabling scientists to understand whether conservation threats exist for particular species and locations and if so, what measures might address these threats.
The objectives for this year’s cruise are broadly similar to previous years and include providing information for ongoing IWC assessments of North Pacific sei, humpback and gray whales in terms of abundance, distribution and stock structure.
The duration of each cruise is approximately 60 days and this voyage is scheduled to return to port on September 30. By the time the vessel has travelled to and from the area of study, approximately 45-50 days remain for research. The scientists on board work from one hour after sunrise to one hour before sunset, making the most of the opportunity and the daylight. Between 70 and 90 nautical miles are covered each day that the vessel is in the research area.
The research vessel, Yushin Maru No. 2, is provided by the Government of Japan and the long-term scientific programme has been designed and approved by the IWC’s Scientific Committee and its 88 member governments. The Government of Japan is no longer a member of the IWC but co-operation continues in a number of research areas.
A report of the cruise will be presented to the Scientific Committee of the IWC at its annual meeting in Spring 2022.
To read more about the IWC-POWER programme click here.
Click here to be taken to the IWC-POWER image gallery.
