ABSTRACT
The specific restrictions on commercial whaling were contained in the Schedule annexed to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW). Nineteen whaling nations present at the International Whaling Conference held in Washington in 1946 adopted the ICRW. Provision was made to establish the International Whaling Commission (IWC), composed of one commissioner for each contracting party, which was given far-reaching authority to amend the Schedule. The reduction of the quotas was also facilitated by the decreasing importance of whaling and the decline of the whaling industry. The process of reducing the quota, the catch, and, consequently, whaling fleets continued in the 1970s. The chances of such a resumption of whaling will depend foremost on the action of the majority of non-whaling states within the IWC. There are legitimate fears that a limited resumption of whaling will lead to over-exploitation in the end.
