OceanLaw On-Line Paper No. 4, April 2001

Proposed South Pacific Whale Sanctuary

William T Burke
Emeritus Professor of Public International Law and Ocean Affairs
School of Marine Affairs, University of Washington

Abstract
In July the IWC will meet in London for it's 53rd Annual Meeting. Among the items to be considered is a proposal by Australia and New Zealand to establish a vast whale sanctuary in the South Pacific. A similar proposal was tabled last year, but failed to gain the necessary three-quarters vote. In this article, a leading writer on marine issues and the law of the sea expresses some personal comments on the legal issues concerning the controversial proposal.
Originally published as [2001] International Fisheries Bulletin No. 14