International Whaling Commission

IWC Resolution 2000-9

Resolution on the Conservation of Freshwater Cetaceans

NOTING that freshwater dolphins and porpoises are among the world's most threatened mammal species;

NOTING further that river cetaceans in Asia are particularly threatened, and the Yangtze river dolphin (Baiji) is Critically Endangered;

NOTING that habitat degradation and alteration is the primary threat to the survival of freshwater cetaceans;

CONCERNED that many populations of freshwater cetaceans have been fragmented by water developments such as dams and barrages, and that these projects have many other adverse ecological effects;

CONCERNED that by-catches of freshwater dolphins and porpoises in gill nets and other fishing gear have caused population declines, and that fishing effort is increasing rapidly in many areas where freshwater cetaceans occur;

WELCOMING the establishment of committees in Asia which facilitate regular exchange of information and planning of conservation strategies for Asian river cetaceans;

RECOGNISING the value of protected areas in conserving populations of freshwater cetaceans, but noting that many offer little protection due to insufficient size, inadequacy of regulatory measures and failures in enforcement;

NOTING with appreciation the recommendations resulting from this year's review of freshwater cetaceans in the small cetacean sub-committee of the Scientific Committee;

NOW THEREFORE the Commission:

ENCOURAGES all governments to continue and expand efforts to monitor the status of freshwater cetaceans and implement strategies for their conservation;

ENCOURAGES thorough evaluation of the impact of development projects on freshwater cetacean populations, and the implementation of measures to ensure that ongoing and future projects do not threaten these populations;

RECOMMENDS that efforts are made to assess the relative magnitude of incidental catches of freshwater cetaceans among different areas and fishing techniques, and that appropriate mitigation strategies be developed to reduce by-catch to levels known to be sustainable;

RECOMMENDS that future protected areas be of appropriate size and location to encompass the range of seasonal movements and life history stages of the cetacean populations they are intended to protect, and that threats to freshwater cetaceans be eliminated or greatly reduced in these areas;

ENCOURAGES support for existing fora in Asia and the fostering of new opportunities for dialogue in other regions to facilitate the exchange of information on freshwater cetaceans;

CALLS UPON all contracting governments to submit information on all known direct and incidental takes of freshwater cetaceans and measures taken to conserve these cetaceans in their annual progress reports to the Scientific Committee.

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