title: Science should not be abandoned in a bid to resolve whaling disputes.
abstract: The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is currently engaged in an intensive negotiating process in an attempt to resolve international disputes about whaling. The IWC has pioneered and agreed a management procedure approach for setting catch limits for commercial whaling that was unanimously recommended by its Scientific Committee. It is disturbing that current negotiations are moving towards discarding this agreed and carefully developed scientific procedure in favour of ad hoc catch allowances based on political expediency.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Ecosystem Management Studies, Hosllenbergstrasse 7, 79312 Windenreute, Germany.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: Russell
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leaper
authors.forename: Vassili
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Papastavrou
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D034462:Dissent and Disputes; D017008:Negotiating; D014907:Whales