Whale and Dolphin Conservation
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Australia ended whaling in its own waters in 1979 and since that time has pursued worldwide protection for all cetaceans and a permanent ban on commercial and 'scientific' whaling.
Whales are well-loved by Australians and whale watching has replaced hunting as a way of deriving economic, social and cultural benefits from whales, while also allowing their populations to recover.
Whales are highly migratory and their protection requires international cooperation as they cross from one man-made jurisdiction to another.
The primary forum in which Australia vigorously defends and promotes its policy of whale conservation is the International Whaling Commission (IWC) (established 1946).
The status and precise population levels of many whale species are not well known. Australia supports research into whales to increase our knowledge of the ecology of whales, provided that research does not involve the killing of whales.
The Australian Government has developed non-lethal research techniques to increase our understanding of whales and their complex marine food web. These techniques render lethal research (or 'scientific whaling') obsolete.
Australia also supports whale sanctuaries which provide whales with a refuge from commercial whaling.