Continued from page 3Endnotes
(1) Historically, U.S. whalers were major participants in this industry.
(2) U.S. Dept. of Commerce. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Marine Fisheries Service. Endangered Whales: Status Update. Washington, DC: June 1991. 52 p.
(3) All regulations (e.g., quotas, moratoria, etc.) are contained in a Schedule appended to the ICRW. Amendments to the Schedule must be approved by three-quarters of the members voting.
(4) Those who prefer the term "zero quota period" stress that what the IWC agreed to was a pause that would allow commercial whaling to resume once an improved management system had been agreed upon.
(5) For further information, see CRS Report 90-283 ENR, Whale Conservation.
(6) Japan, the USSR, and Peru also lodged objections to the commercial whaling moratorium. Japan and Peru later withdrew their objections.
(7) Norway and other countries have also killed minke whales for scientific research purposes. Whaling for scientific purposes is acknowledged as a sovereign right of a contracting government to the ICRW.
(8) Minke whales are relatively small (5 metric tons, 9 meters long) baleen (i.e., filter feeding) whales. Although this species consumes planktonic animals (i.e., small shrimp-like crustaceans referred to as "krill") in southern oceans, minke whales feed opportunistically upon both pelagic crustaceans and schooling fishes, including capelin, herring, sand lance/sand eels, cod, pollack, and others in northern oceans. See: Jonsgrd, ge. "The Food of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Northern North Atlantic Waters." Report of the International Whaling Commission, 32 (1980-1981): 259-262.
(9) Norway's 1993 commercial minke whale kill was 157 animals; in 1994, it was 206; and in 1995, 218.
(10) According to U.S. Department of Commerce statistics, Norway's total exports in 1993 were approximately $32.1 billion.
(11) The difference in the stock estimates may be attributed to different methodology as well as possible stock growth.
(12) The AEWG was established by the Scientific Committee in 1995 to address concerns with how the 1992 abundance estimate was calculated from the 1989 survey data.
(13) This estimate was based on the intersessional work, but has not been reviewed by the IWC's Scientific Committee.
(14) In 1995, the Scientific Committee decided that population models should be subjected to rigorous testing. Norway, the designer of the 1995 population model, claimed it was unable to perform the tests due to time constraints.
(15) In 1995, the IWC had passed a resolution urging Norway to reconsider its objection to the moratorium and halt all whaling.
(16) A Norwegian motion to take similar action was defeated at the 1994 CITES meeting by a vote of 48 against and 16 in favor, with 52 abstentions.
(17) For more information on CITES, see CRS Report 95-674 ENR, The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species: Its Past and Future.
(18) Using the same methodology applied under the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) for calculating the potential biological removal (PBR) levels for marine mammals allowable for commercial fishing operations, a reasonable PBR for a stock of 118,000 minke whales can be calculated. Since the PBR process is designed to be very conservative, the Norwegian quotas may be considered quite conservative from an ecological standpoint.
(19) A key issue is who will pay the costs of international observers -- the whaling nations or the IWC.
(20) The United States and other nations have been accused of stalling agreement on details of various aspects of the RMS. Some nations may believe that requiring whaling nations to pay for international observers might discourage a few of them, including Norway, from continuing their whaling.
(21) Moseley, Ray. "Defying Global Ban, Norway Still Hunts Whales." Chicago Tribune. February 22, 1994. p. 1.
(22) "Whaling Dispute Puts US in Middle." Washington Post. May 18, 1994. p. A4.
(23) Freeman, Milton. "Gallup on Public Attitudes to Whales and Whaling." In: 11 Essays on Whales and Man. High North Alliance, Bde, Norway, 1993. The same study found that 57% of Americans opposed whaling.
(24) Interview with Karsten Klepsvik, Deputy Chief of Mission, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Washington, DC, on June 14, 1996.
(25) Bilger, Burkhard. "Forbidden Flesh." Earthwatch. May/June, 1994. p. 15.
(26) However, at 47.7% in favor of joining and 52.3% against, the total vote was fairly close.
(27) Norway achieved full political independence in 1905, when it peacefully severed its union with Sweden.
(28) Norway Tried to Smuggle Tons of Whale Meat to Japan. Reuters. April 25, 1996.
(29) In 1995, Norway enjoyed a $1.8 billion trade surplus with the United States; U.S. exports to Norway were $1.3 billion, while imports from Norway were $3.1 billion -- nearly 10% of Norway's total foreign sales, but less than half of one percent of total U.S. imports.
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