§ Mr. Burdenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what agreement the recent conference of the International Whaling Commission arrived at regarding catch quotas on those species of whales not subject to the full protection of a total prohibition on catching.
§ Mr. BishopAt its thirtieth annual meeting held recently, the International Whaling Commission set the following commercial catch limits for the 1978–79 Antarctic season and the 1979 season outside the Arctic:
Southern Hemisphere North Pacific North Atlantic Sperm 5,436 (a) 685 Fin Nil Nil 470 Sei Nil Nil 84 Brydes Nil 454 Nil Minke 6,221 400 2,552 In addition, the following quotas for aboriginal whaling were agreed:
- Bowhead (Bering Sea Stock)—27 Struck or 18 landed.
- Grey (Eastern Stock, North Pacific)—178.
- Humpback (Greenland waters)—10.
- Fin (West Greenland)—15 maximum, subject to a total limit of 15 for humpback and fin whales in these waters.
(a) The Commission deferred making recommendations on North Pacific sperm whale quotas which will be discussed at a special meeting later this year.
§ Mr. Burdenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will place in the Library a report on the conference of the International Whaling Commission.
§ Mr. BishopYes, I will arrange to place in the Library a copy of the official report of the thirtieth annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission when it becomes available.
§ Mr. Burdenasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what decisions were taken at the recent conference of the International Whaling Commission on the banning of the use of explosive harpoons and their replacement by more humane methods of slaughter by whale hunters.
§ Mr. BishopThe report of the subcommittee set up by the International 449W Whaling Commission's scientific committee to investigate humane killing techniques concluded that, from available data, explosive harpooning is still the most reliable and efficient method of killing whales practised today. A recommendation was agreed by the Commission urging whaling countries to instigate further research by qualified personnel into other methods to achieve the most humane methods of killing whales.