Press release

IWC70: Ban on commercial whaling successfully upheld

October 2, 2026

The 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission, held in Hobart, Tasmania, took decisive decisions on several controversial issues.

Overall, OceanCare is relieved that the International Whaling Commission (IWC) upheld the moratorium on commercial whaling, which was put in place by the IWC in 1986. Thus, the Commission was celebrating its 40th anniversary. However, the moratorium was under attack once again from a handful of pro-whaling nations, led by the Caribbean island state of Antigua & Barbuda but this threat was averted.

“Throughout the meeting, Antigua & Barbuda and its allies acted as agents of chaos in a number of issues” says Fabienne McLellan, Managing Director of OceanCare. “Their proposed resolution was a major factor of concern, and once it was withdrawn, another destructive trump card was played by Antigua & Barbuda to try and prevent a much-needed budget increase for the IWC and block the approval of the budget. Both attempts fortunately failed.”

“In the end the overall results of the meeting are satisfactory as the majority of countries stood strong in support of defending the ban on commercial whaling, which is one of the most shining success stories in the global efforts to protect wildlife. With at least some whale populations recovering – showing that the moratorium has been a success for them – we also need to be aware that the threats they face globally and the deteriorating status of the ocean urgently require much more ambition and joint efforts globally“, concludes McLellan.

These are the issues on the IWC’s agenda and a report on how each was resolved:

Resolution to undermine the moratorium on commercial whaling

This proposed resolution, put forward by Caribbean island states Antigua & Barbuda and St Lucia and a few other countries, was an effort to try to undermine the moratorium on commercial whaling. Similar efforts by pro-whaling nations, have failed in the past, and ultimately now at this meeting, too, the proponents finally had to withdraw this resolution due to strong opposition from many other member states.

“OceanCare is relieved that the IWC has once again shown that it will not accept this ‘trojan horse’ that seeks to undermine the moratorium on commercial whaling. A handful of pro-whaling nations, who have no whaling activities nor whaling history themselves, has for years tried to move the IWC towards legalising the resumption of commercial whaling. However, the majority of countries have clearly opposed this when it was presented at the IWC”, says Fabienne McLellan, Managing Director of OceanCare.

There was also strong public opposition in Antigua & Barbuda itself, and several local and international groups urged the Prime Minister to withdraw the proposal. Surprisingly, the resolution was nonetheless submitted by Antigua & Barbuda, although the country’s commissioner did not himself present it, but rather let co-sponsor St Lucia verbally introduce the proposal to the IWC. Later it was the co-supporter Grenada that withdrew it.

Whale Sanctuary in the South Atlantic

On the other hand, OceanCare is disappointed that the establishment of a whale sanctuary in the Southern Atlantic, as proposed by Brazil and other South American countries, supported by Gabon and South Africa, once again failed to gain the necessary 3/4 majority when it was voted on.

„The continued blockade of establishing the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary shows the bad intentions by a block of countries preventing efforts by the countries at both sides of the Atlantic to take better action. Good faith works differently!“, says Fabienne McLellan.

Brazil has said it will introduce the proposal again at the next IWC meeting.

Hobart Declaration

Host country Australia was determined to adopt the so-called Hobart Declaration to celebrate the IWC’s 80th anniversary and finally managed to get such a declaration adopted by consensus.

OceanCare sees this as a largely symbolic act with little tangible implications for whale conservation. The negations on this have absorbed a lot of time and effort to reach this consensus.

Rather, OceanCare celebrates 40 years of the moratorium on commercial whaling and as the events during the IWC meeting have shown once again, this moratorium needs constant defending. For OceanCare the Florianopolis Declaration, adopted in 2018 in Brazil, is the far more important, guiding principle for the IWC.

Small Cetaceans Resolution

This resolution proposed by Switzerland aimed at looking into the connection between commercial fishing activities and the hunting of dolphins. To our regret, Switzerland has withdrawn its proposal early in the process.

Unlike the great whales, small cetaceans are not covered by the ban on commercial whaling, and their protection within the IWC has long been contested by some countries. Switzerland has always had a constructive positioning on small cetaceans, and the resolution would have strengthened their protection. OceanCare therefore regrets this decision which was based on perceived implementation difficulties. In our view, new avenues need to be found so that the the important analysis described in the Resolution can still be conducted.

The withdrawal also points to a wider problem: the financial resources States commit to environmental protection, species conservation and, in this case, marine conservation are shrinking. That has consequences far beyond a single resolution. We urge not only the Swiss government, but all IWC member states to ensure sufficient funding to enable the IWC and its Scientific and Conservation Committees to carry out their important work so that science-based international decisions can be taken to better protect small cetaceans from hunting. This also means committing to a sound financial bases for the important wider conservation work carried out by the IWC.

Vessel Strikes

Surprisingly, one of the more contentious resolutions was the Vessel Strikes Resolution, proposed by the EU member states, aiming at reducing the collisions between ships and whales by measures like speed reduction and alternative routing. After many consultations between countries, a consensus could not be reached, mainly because of the US resistance to wording related to “climate change” and its current general anti-environmental agenda. Therefore, a vote was conducted, and the resolution gained the necessary majority of votes. Diluting language in connection with climate change could have set a risky political precedent. OceanCare applauds the EU for standing strong and did not allow erosion of science-based facts by the USA and is pleased that the resolution was adopted by the IWC by vote.

“Vessel strikes are an ever-growing major concern for the conservation and welfare of whales around the globe. This resolution strengthens coordinated actions to better understand the risks to cetaceans. It is well known that the two key measures to reduce the risk of collisions are to route vessels outside important areas for whales or to reduce vessel speed, which was reinforced by the adopted Resolution. The IWC can in cooperation with other international fora provide clear guidance on where high-risk areas for collisions are,” says McLellan.

Welfare report

Hunting whales is not only a conservation matter, it is also an animal welfare issue. OceanCare shares the concerns of many others about the cruelty inherent in the ongoing commercial whaling activities. Additionally, we believe that far more attention should be given by the IWC to the welfare of whales on non-hunting issues, such as underwater noise, chemical and plastic pollution, bycatch, entanglement, declining food abundance and other factors that impact cetaceans, both individually and cumulatively. Therefore, OceanCare informed the Commission about its new report ‘Beneath the Surface: Marine Mammal Welfare in a Challenging World’, and provides further scientific information.

“We also note with concern increasing reports of emaciated whales from several populations around the world and the potentially severe implications of this for their welfare, health and reproduction. The IWC conducts world class scientific research through its Scientific Committee, and we call on the IWC to give welfare science and policy far more attention”, says McLellan.

Finances

Efforts to increase the IWC’s budget by increasing membership fees for the first time in 10 years faced pushed back by several countries from different regions. In a last-minute attempt, Antigua & Barbuda tried to prevent a 3 percent budget increase and therefore blocked the approval of the budget. This would have put the important work the IWC does in its Scientific and Conservation committees at risk.

The IWC thus had a difficult debate about its operating budget but eventually found a way to go forward via a vote. OceanCare calls on countries not to relinquish on their financial contributions (including voluntary contributions) to ensure that the important science and conservation work can be carried out.