State of the Cetacean Environment: IWC Report Series

The IWC produces the State of the Cetacean Environment Report (SOCER) every year.  These environmental updates were first requested by the Commission in 1997, and have been produced annually since 2003 in order to help inform IWC discussions.  

The reports are compiled by three editors who are members of the IWC Scientific Committee, and the topics covered are wide-ranging, aiming to both reflect and help shape the ongoing work programme of the IWC. 

Regular sections of the SOCER include habitat degradation (including issues such as marine debris and ship strikes), chemical pollution, disease, noise impacts and mortality events (such as oil spills).  Positive developments (such as new marine protected areas or marine debris collection schemes) are also highlighted.  Each report provides a non-technical summary of the most recent published research, legislation and other relevant developments.  The SOCER has two components: a specific regional focus and a more general global update. 

The regional focus rotates on a 5-year cycle. The regions are:
Mediterranean and Black Seas
North and South Atlantic
North and South Pacific
Arctic and Antarctic (Polar)
Indian Ocean

The global section  aims to cover only the most recent and significant worldwide developments in the 12-month period since the previous SOCER.

In 2018, a Compendium was produced, consolidating the most recent 5 year cycle into a single, global document.

To read the Compendium please click here.

To read the 1997 Resolution establishing the SOCER, click here.