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. United States, on December 2, 1946 to “provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry
- An integral part of the Convention is legally binding Schedule which sets out specific measures
- Measures include catch limits (which may be zero as it the case for commercial whaling) by species and area, designating specified areas as whale sanctuaries, protection of calves and females accompanied by calves, prescribe open and closed seasons and areas for whaling and restrictions on hunting methods.
- The Commission also co-ordinates and funds conservation work on many species of cetacean.
- Membership of the IWC is open to any country in the world.
- The IWC has no ability to enforce any of its decisions through penalty imposition.
- The headquarters of the IWC is in Impington, near Cambridge, England.
- India is a member of IWC.
- In 1982 the IWC adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling.
- Currently, Japan, Russia, and a number of other nations oppose this moratorium