ABSTRACT
Indigenous peoples around the globe have a special attachment to marine mammals – including whales, seals, and polar bears. The LOSC adopts both zonal and species-specific approaches for the conservation and management of MLRs. However, the LOSC makes specific provisions for the conservation and management of marine mammals within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the high seas. Certain general global wildlife conservation-oriented international conventions, such as CITES and CMS, include marine mammals within their scope of application. Trade encourages the illegal take of threatened species. This chapter explores certain agreements adopted to regulate the conservation and management of specific types of marine mammals and to what extent these agreements recognize the rights of indigenous peoples. The advent of factory ships and other technological innovations in the 19th century made it possible to conduct extensive whaling operations in areas far from land stations, which, in turn, led to the over-exploitation and extinction of many species of whales.
