Established the International Whaling Commission and set binding global limits on commercial, scientific, and aboriginal whaling to prevent overhunting.
Key Facts
- Signing date
- 3 December 1946
- Entry into force
- 10 November 1948
- Original signatories
- 15 countries
- Current member states
- 88
- Protocol signed
- 19 November 1956
- Spearheaded by
- United States
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Intensive commercial whaling following World War I led to severe overexploitation of whale populations. Earlier attempts at regulation—the 1931 Geneva Convention and the 1937 International Agreement—proved ineffective, yet provided a legal framework that revealed the need for a stronger, enforceable international instrument to protect whale stocks from collapse.
Spearheaded by the United States, representatives from 15 nations signed the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in Washington, D.C., on 3 December 1946. The convention established clear objectives to prevent overhunting, ensure conservation of whale stocks, and safeguard these natural resources for future generations, taking effect on 10 November 1948.
The convention created the International Whaling Commission as its primary decision-making body, empowered to set binding catch limits, regulate whaling methods, designate protected areas, and oversee scientific research. Membership grew to 88 states, and the IWC's annual schedule became the central mechanism for international oversight of all forms of whaling activity worldwide.
Political Outcome
Convention entered into force on 10 November 1948, establishing the International Whaling Commission with authority to set binding whaling regulations for member states.
Unregulated or weakly governed commercial whaling under ineffective 1931 and 1937 agreements
Binding international regulatory framework with 88 member states overseen by the IWC