International Whaling Commission (IWC)'s Grow Up

    The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is an international body set up by the terms of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW), which was signed in Washington, D.C. on 2 December 1946 to "provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry".
    In 1986 the Cheap IWC Watches adopted a 4-year moratorium on commercial whaling, which was extended every four years until 2002, when it was made indefinite due to a lack of "sound scientific basis and an effective management and enforcement scheme" for the sustainability of commercial whaling. Currently, Japan and The Russian Federation oppose this moratorium. The IWC allows non-zero whaling quotas for aboriginal subsistence and also issues 'Scientific Permits' to governments who apply for them. Japan, Norway and Iceland have all been issued permits since their inclusion in 1986. In 1994, the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary was created by the IWC.
    The main duty of the IWC watches online is to keep under review and revise as necessary the measures laid down in the Schedule to the Convention which govern the conduct of whaling throughout the world. These measures, among other things, provide for the complete protection of certain species; designate specified areas as whale sanctuaries; set limits on the numbers and size of whales which may be taken; prescribe open and closed seasons and areas for whaling; and prohibit the capture of suckling calves and female whales accompanied by calves. The compilation of catch reports and other statistical and biological records is also required.
    In addition, the Commission encourages, co-ordinates and funds whale research, publishes the results of scientific research and promotes studies into related matters such as the humaneness of the killing operations.
    IWC is a voluntary international organization and is not backed up by treaty. Therefore, the imitation IWC, in essence, is a voluntary organization which has substantial practical limitations on its authority. First, any member countries are free to simply leave the organization and declare themselves not bound by it if they so wish. Second, any member state may opt out of any specific IWC regulation by lodging a formal objection to it within 90 days of the regulation coming into force (such provisions are common in international agreements, on the logic that it is preferable to have parties remain within the agreements than opt out altogether). Third, the IWC has no ability to enforce any of its decisions through penalty imposition.