The International Whaling Commission,
AWARE that the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling provides that the Commission may amend the provisions of the Schedule with a view to types and specifications of gear and apparatus and appliances which may be used in whaling operations (Article V.1(f));
RECALLING that at its 46th Annual Meeting the Commission agreed to reconvene the Workshop on Whale Killing Methods, and also adopted a Resolution on the Use of the Electric Lance as a Secondary Method of Killing Whales which noted difficulties with its application;
COMMENDING this year's Workshop on Whale Killing Methods for its work; COMMENDING Contracting Governments for their co-operative attitude and for submitting relevant papers for discussion;
NOTING that information presented to the Workshop strongly suggests that the electric lance does not cause instantaneous insensibility; and also that alternative secondary killing methods are available;
NOW THEREFORE The Commission
AGREES that the Action Plan recommended by the Workshop provides a basis for further work on whale killing methods;
CALLS upon the Contracting Governments to examine all the data presented at the Workshop, together with any other information that may become available, on secondary killing methods;
RESOLVES to reconsider the question of introducing a Schedule amendment on the electric lance at its 1996 meeting with a view to reaching a decision;
URGES the Contracting Governments, in the meantime, to suspend the use of the electric lance as a method of killing whales