The 2020 biennial Commission meeting of the IWC will be held at the Grand Bernardin Resort, Portoroz, Slovenia
IWC-POWER is intended to be a long-term programme enabling the status of large whale populations in the North Pacific to be assessed and, where necessary, provide information to develop conservation and management action. The full text of the agreed long term objective can be found below.
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The programme will provide information to allow determination of the status of populations (and thus stock structureis inherently important) of large whales that are found in North Pacific waters and provide the necessary scientific background for appropriate conservation and management actions. The programme will primarily contribute information on abundance and trends in abundance of populations of large whales and try to identify the causes of any trends should these occur. The programme will learn from both the successes and weaknesses of past national and international programmes and cruises, including the IDCR/SOWER programme.
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After a comprehensive review of the available information and an identification of the knowledge gaps, a number of priority species and topics were identified for the medium term. In terms of obtaining direct abundance estimates, highest priority was allocated to fin, sei and, in the Okhotsk Sea, North Pacific right whales. If suitable acoustic equipment can be found and deployed, sperm whales could also be a high priority. Other species were identified as being high priority for opportunistically collecting biopsy and photo-id data during directed cruises including blue whales and humpback whales. A summary can be found below.
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The short term aim is to cover most of the central and eastern North Pacific (the least studied areas) by 2015. The information obtained on distribution and abundance from these initial surveys, as well as practical information on successful techniques and necessary improvements, is essential for designing the medium-term plan.