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 off their coasts. There is a pressing need for these resources to be managed sustainably. for the benefit of developing countries and in ways that help to meet global nutritional needs.

31. Whaling offers another example. Recognizing that the history of whaling up to the 1960s was that of overexploitation. the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the main international body regulating whaling, has taken a series of conservation measures since the early 19708 and now all stocks that are below a certain level have been classified as protected from commercial whaling.

32. In its early days. the IWC was dominated by whaling nations. After 1979. non-whaling nations became an increasingly siqnificant majority of the membership. This change was reflected in the IWC's decisions, which increasingly opted in cases of scientific doubt for a cautious approach and the reduction of catch levels or the cessation of whaling altogether on certain stocks.

33. This trend culminated in the moratorium decision of 1982. Members have the right to object and continue commercial whaling or to catch whales for scientific purposes. There is a strongly held view in conservation circles that whaling for scientific purposes can be used as a loophole by whaling nations, Permissions for such hunting should be stringently applied by IWC members, or the IWC's credibility will be undermined,

34. An important political factor in recent developments has been the ability of the U.S. Government to invoke legislation that enables contracts for fishing in U.S. waters to be withheld from nations that undermine marine conservation agreements. The value of such fishery concessions is large and the legislation has significant political and economic leverage. Another important factor has been the strength of the NGOs in organizing support for anti-whaling actions, lobbying governments and organizing boycotts of fish and other products from whaling nations. /…