Chapter 5 deals with whales and considers all relevant international agreements
that make exclusive reference to whales. At the centre of this part stands the
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) and the International Whaling Commission established by it. Apart from merely describing the
convention, the part delves into the underlying problems of the IWC and what makes
the current situation so contentious. Since the IWC merely deals with ‘great whales’
and leaves out small cetaceans, this chapter furthermore includes some pages on
international cooperation regarding whale species outside the regulatory framework
of the IWC.
Chapter 6 is concerned with seals and introduces the current international legal
frameworks for the management and conservation of seals. Given the absence of a
global agreement on the management of seals, this part takes the European Union’s
ban on trade in seal products under closer scrutiny and what implication this has had
for the overall trade in seal products worldwide.
Chapter 7 looks at polar bears and specifically the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. We also get to know some bilateral agreements that serve the
protection of polar bears. Moreover, the importance of the polar bear also within a
CITES context is being discussed.
Chapter 8 delves into the question of why specific regimes pertaining to marine
mammals are what they are. Taking into account all previous chapters it aims to
explain the stances of particular countries, for instance within the International
Whaling Commission or elsewhere. The chapter thus links comparative legal
research—albeit understandable for lay readers—with political and cultural
considerations and makes the prevailing legal regimes relevant for marine mammals
explainable. The chapter serves consequently somewhat as a summary and discussion of the preceding chapters and is relevant in order to fully comprehend international marine mammal law(s).
Finally, Chap. 9 summarises all preceding chapters and asks where we currently
stand concerning international marine mammal law. It provides an overview of the
key challenges and key achievements of the current legal regimes and furthermore
presents several recommendations on how to improve the current different systems,
particularly discussing ways to reconcile diverging views on marine mammal
conservation and utilisation.
1.3
Research on Marine Mammal Law
International law surrounding marine mammals has been the subject of many
scholarly volumes, particularly in the English language. In fact, I have yet to come
across scholarly or non-scholarly books in my native language German or in the
language of my country of residence—Finland—that exclusively deal with the
interaction of marine mammals and international law. Generally speaking, the
main body of literature and research has focused on the International Whaling
Commission and the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. Of
particular interest have been the way the IWC works and what factors have
4
1 Why an Introduction to International Marine Mammal Law?
that make exclusive reference to whales. At the centre of this part stands the
International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) and the International Whaling Commission established by it. Apart from merely describing the
convention, the part delves into the underlying problems of the IWC and what makes
the current situation so contentious. Since the IWC merely deals with ‘great whales’
and leaves out small cetaceans, this chapter furthermore includes some pages on
international cooperation regarding whale species outside the regulatory framework
of the IWC.
Chapter 6 is concerned with seals and introduces the current international legal
frameworks for the management and conservation of seals. Given the absence of a
global agreement on the management of seals, this part takes the European Union’s
ban on trade in seal products under closer scrutiny and what implication this has had
for the overall trade in seal products worldwide.
Chapter 7 looks at polar bears and specifically the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears. We also get to know some bilateral agreements that serve the
protection of polar bears. Moreover, the importance of the polar bear also within a
CITES context is being discussed.
Chapter 8 delves into the question of why specific regimes pertaining to marine
mammals are what they are. Taking into account all previous chapters it aims to
explain the stances of particular countries, for instance within the International
Whaling Commission or elsewhere. The chapter thus links comparative legal
research—albeit understandable for lay readers—with political and cultural
considerations and makes the prevailing legal regimes relevant for marine mammals
explainable. The chapter serves consequently somewhat as a summary and discussion of the preceding chapters and is relevant in order to fully comprehend international marine mammal law(s).
Finally, Chap. 9 summarises all preceding chapters and asks where we currently
stand concerning international marine mammal law. It provides an overview of the
key challenges and key achievements of the current legal regimes and furthermore
presents several recommendations on how to improve the current different systems,
particularly discussing ways to reconcile diverging views on marine mammal
conservation and utilisation.
1.3
Research on Marine Mammal Law
International law surrounding marine mammals has been the subject of many
scholarly volumes, particularly in the English language. In fact, I have yet to come
across scholarly or non-scholarly books in my native language German or in the
language of my country of residence—Finland—that exclusively deal with the
interaction of marine mammals and international law. Generally speaking, the
main body of literature and research has focused on the International Whaling
Commission and the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. Of
particular interest have been the way the IWC works and what factors have
4
1 Why an Introduction to International Marine Mammal Law?