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International Whaling Commission: Home

The International Whaling Commission: Patricia Forkan Collection.

The IWC

Banner for IWC: Patricia Forkan Collection, whale flukes in oceanPatricia Forkan at a desk, smiling at the camera

The International Whaling Commission

The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling established the International Whaling Commission in 1946 to properly conserve whale stocks and provide order to the development of the whaling industry. The Convention includes catch limits, whale sanctuaries, protection for calves, and restrictions on hunting. These conservation measures are governed by the Convention's Schedule, which can be amended when the IWC meets.


The Collection

Boley's IWC collection was donated by Senior Vice President of the Humane Society of the United States, Patricia Forkan, and all documents are related to the creation and business practices of the IWC.

This collection consists of about fifteen linear feet of materials covering the early 1970s to early 2000s. It includes IWC’s annual meetings and agendas, voting records, resolutions, opening statements, reports, and schedules. It also contains documents relating to the Commission’s three main committees: Scientific, Technical, and Finance and Administration. A large portion of this collection also includes correspondence, memos, and other communications from the IWC, the Humane SOciety, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and other agencies, as well as press releases and clippings pertaining to the whaling industry, whaling agencies, and whale sanctuaries. Reports, clippings, and other documentation relating to the Makah tribe and other ethnic groups are also contained within the collection.