Key Details
India’s statement at the 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC-70) set out its conservation priorities as the meeting began in Hobart, Australia, on 28 September 2026. The IWC-70 plenary is scheduled to run until 2 October 2026.
Scientific evidence: India called for better information on cetacean populations, distribution, movements, breeding ecology and threats. Cetaceans are whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Cooperation: It urged governments, researchers, international organisations and local communities to develop practical conservation approaches, including across countries that share a species’ range.
Domestic protection: Cetaceans in Indian waters receive the highest level of protection under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. India also cited marine protected areas and Project Dolphin.
Priority species: India identified the Arabian Sea humpback whale as one of 25 species receiving focused conservation attention.
India Places Better Evidence at the Centre of Conservation
India’s opening statement links conservation decisions to knowledge of where cetaceans live, how their populations are changing and what threatens them. Such evidence can help identify priority habitats and choose measures suited to particular species and locations.
India also emphasised cooperation among countries sharing cetacean ranges. Research and protection in one country may have limited reach when an animal’s habitat extends into neighbouring waters.
Existing Protections Provide the Domestic Starting Point
The statement cited Project Dolphin’s approach to conserving dolphins, whales, porpoises and their aquatic habitats, alongside legal protection and marine protected areas. Its specific mention of the Arabian Sea humpback whale gives India’s wider call for scientific research a species-level focus.
IWC-70 is taking place in the 80th anniversary year of the convention that established the commission. India has been an IWC member since 1981.
What is International Whaling Commission (IWC)?
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a global intergovernmental body established in 1946 under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling to manage whale stocks and regulate the whaling industry. While originally founded to oversee sustainable commercial hunting quotas, it transitioned primarily into a conservation authority in 1986 by enacting an indefinite global moratorium on commercial whaling. Today, the IWC monitors whale populations, oversees regulated aboriginal subsistence hunting, and tackles broader environmental threats such as ocean noise, ship strikes, and fishing gear entanglement.
Policy Relevance
The useful test of India’s position is whether population and habitat research helps identify where protection for the Arabian Sea humpback whale is most needed. That would give coastal authorities and researchers a clearer basis for locally appropriate measures.
Cooperation across its range is the second task. Sharing comparable evidence with other countries can help them identify common conservation priorities; India’s opening statement expresses support for that approach, rather than recording a new agreement reached at IWC-70.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What evidence on Arabian Sea humpback whales would India need to identify priority habitats and coordinate protection with countries across their range?
Follow the Full Release Here: India Reaffirms Commitment to Conservation of Whales and Other Cetaceans at IWC-70