International
Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
Washington,
2nd December, 1946 - The Governments whose duly authorised
representatives have subscribed hereto, Recognizing
the interest of the nations of the world in safeguarding
for future generations the great natural resources
represented by the whale stocks;
Considering that the
history of whaling has seen over-fishing of one area
after another and of one species of whale after another
to such a degree that it is essential to protect all
species of whales from further over-fishing;
Recognizing that the
whale stocks are susceptible of natural increases
if whaling is properly regulated, and that increases
in the size of whale stocks will permit increases
in the number of whales which may be captured without
endangering these natural resources;
Recognizing that it
is in the common interest to achieve the optimum level
of whale stocks as rapidly as possible without causing
widespread economic and nutritional distress;
Recognizing
that in the course of achieving these objectives,
whaling operations should be confined to those species
best able to sustain exploitation in order to give
an interval for recovery to certain species of whales
now depleted in numbers;
