IWC70 in Hobart: 40 years of the global moratorium as whales face old – and new – threats
- Celebrating anniversaries: 80 years of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and 40 years of the global moratorium on commercial whaling, which saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of whales. IWC70 meets in Hobart, Australia from 28 September – 2 October 2026.
- An old threat resurfaces: Backed by a handful of other states, Antigua and Barbuda, whose position has long been linked to whaling nation Japan, has submitted a resolution, which – if adopted – could lead to the erosion of the moratorium. OceanCare urges Antigua and Barbuda and its co-sponsors to withdraw the resolution.
- New threats emerge: Whales are suffering as climate change alters prey availability. Ship strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, plastic pollution and underwater noise are also major ongoing threats, adversely impacting the long-term survival of whales.
- OceanCare on the ground in Hobart: OceanCare has participated in the IWC meetings since 1992 and urges countries to strengthen global efforts to better protect whales from such major threats and defend the moratorium. Items on the agenda include the designation of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary, vessel strike mitigation and how to achieve better protection of the smaller cetacean species from hunting.
On Monday, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) celebrates two anniversaries: 80 years of existence and 40 years of the global moratorium on commercial whaling, which has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of whales. Yet Antigua and Barbuda and its allies are pushing once again to overturn this vitally important conservation tool.
Beyond whaling, whales, dolphins and porpoises face threats the moratorium was never designed to directly address. Now is the time for the IWC to comprehensively move forward on all the new – and old – threats impacting them.
OceanCare has held observer status at the IWC since 1992 and will attend the meeting in Hobart, working to strengthen the IWC’s conservation mandate and defend the moratorium against renewed attempts to remove it.
Founded in 1946, the IWC presided over 40 years of carnage followed by 40 years of one of the most impressive conservation successes. Between 1946 and 1985, nearly 2 million large whales were killed through commercial whaling operations.
The moratorium, adopted by the IWC in 1982 and entering into force in 1986, resulted in a major drop in whale killing, leaving only a few countries that either issued a reservation to the moratorium decision or labelled their commercial whaling activities as “scientific research” in order to continue this internationally outlawed practice. In the 40 years since the moratorium took effect, approximately 46,000 whales have fallen victim to commercial whaling activities. That is roughly 45 times fewer than in the four decades before.
“The global ban on commercial whaling is one of the greatest achievements in modern animal conservation, but still any whale killed by an explosive harpoon for commercial purposes is one too many. It is vitally important that the moratorium remains fully in place and is not eroded,” says Fabienne McLellan, CEO of OceanCare.
A whaling resolution from a country that never whaled
Three countries – Iceland, Norway and Japan – continue to hunt a combined total of roughly 1,000 large whales per year. Japan left the IWC in 2019 but continues influencing proceedings within the IWC in liaison with certain countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, which has never conducted commercial whaling and was reportedly backed by over $200 million in Japanese financial assistance in recent years.
The resolution by Antigua and Barbuda is backed by a handful of other states. It has been submitted despite domestic opposition in Antigua and Barbuda. In fact, an independent public opinion poll published this July found that 64 per cent of residents oppose commercial whaling, 60 per cent oppose their country tabling the resolution, and 68 per cent are unaware their government even holds this position in the first place. OceanCare has repeatedly urged the government of Antigua and Barbuda to withdraw its resolution, most recently in an open letter signed with 21 other international organisations.
“Commercial whaling has gone from dozens of nations to three. There is not a single justification left. And while the global community should have an all hands on deck approach to protect whales and their habitats from the cocktail of threats, a few countries, such as Antigua and Barbuda serving as Japan’s ally, keep pushing to erode the moratorium. In 2026, this belongs to history, not policy. Onwards towards protecting whales, not backwards to commercial whaling,” says Nicolas Entrup, Director of International Relations at OceanCare.
Old and new threats: Climate change, ships and starvation
Across the world, researchers are increasingly alarmed as they document whales visibly thinner than they should be. Southern right whales off South Africa show signs of significantly reduced body condition, linked to declining prey availability driven by warming waters. There are strong indications that gray whales in the Eastern North Pacific are also suffering as changes in their Arctic feeding grounds reduce food availability. Climate change is altering marine ecosystems faster than whale populations can adapt.
Where major shipping lanes cross feeding or breeding grounds, vessel strikes have also become a leading cause of death for large whales. Intense fishing activities result in bycatch and entanglement in fishing gear, which is responsible for the death of thousands of small whales, but also large ones, annually. Additionally, pollution – whether by plastic, chemicals or underwater noise – presents severe threats at a global scale.
What IWC70 could achieve
While the transformation of the IWC to address the various threats that whales face has already begun, more needs to be done. OceanCare calls on the IWC and its member states to live up to fully safeguarding all whales and address the severe threats they are exposed to. Specifically, OceanCare calls for:
- strengthening of the scientific foundation for conservation decisions
- expansion of non-lethal conservation priorities across the Scientific and Conservation Committees
- amplification of regional conservation efforts and
- strenuous efforts to ensure that any future initiatives strengthen – not weaken – protection for whales, dolphins and porpoises
Further information
OceanCare’s Introduction to IWC 70
All proposals and resolutions before IWC70 are published in full on the IWC’s meeting page
Proceedings are streamed live on the YouTube-channel of the IWC
Press release: Conservationists urge tropical island paradise Antigua and Barbuda not to push for whaling, 27 July 2026
Press release: Antigua and Barbuda’s government dismisses its own citizens, 30 July 2026
Press release: Antigua and Barbuda submits whaling resolution, 4 August 2026