India calls for stronger global action to protect whales

According to the IWC, more than 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises are estimated to die every year after becoming caught or entangled in fishing gear.

Hobart, Australia:- India has called for stronger international cooperation and science-based conservation of whales, dolphins and other cetaceans, as governments meet in Hobart, Australia, for the 70th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC-70).

In its opening statement at IWC-70, India stressed the need for continued collaboration among range countries, scientific institutions and international organisations to improve the conservation of cetaceans.

The country highlighted the importance of better scientific information on population size, distribution, movements, breeding ecology and threats to guide conservation and management decisions.

The IWC70 plenary is being held in Hobart from September 28 to October 2, 2026, with representatives from the Commission’s 89 member governments discussing whale population assessments, conservation measures and the threats facing cetaceans.

The conservation challenge facing whales and their relatives extends far beyond commercial whaling. According to the IWC, more than 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises are estimated to die every year after becoming accidentally caught or entangled in fishing gear.

Bycatch is considered the single biggest direct threat to cetaceans. Gillnets and other entangling nets are particularly dangerous because animals can become trapped underwater and drown. Larger whales may escape but continue to drag ropes, nets and other gear, resulting in injuries, impaired feeding, infection, starvation or eventual death.

The problem affects both industrial and small-scale fisheries and occurs in different types of fishing gear. The IWC says limited monitoring and reporting in many fisheries makes it difficult to determine the full scale of the problem.

Fishing gear is not the only threat. The IWC identifies ship strikes, habitat degradation, pollution, underwater noise and climate change among the major threats facing cetaceans.

Increasing maritime traffic raises the risk of collisions with whales, while coastal development, ports, offshore industries and underwater noise can degrade important habitats. Plastic and chemical pollution can further affect marine ecosystems, while changing ocean temperatures can alter the distribution of prey and suitable habitats.

The problem is particularly serious for species with small or declining populations. The IWC identifies bycatch as a major factor in the decline of the critically endangered vaquita, the world’s smallest porpoise, and the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. The organisation also notes that bycatch played a significant role in the extinction of the baiji, or Yangtze River dolphin.

The same fishing activities that threaten cetaceans can kill other marine wildlife. BirdLife International estimates that more than one million seabirds die annually from fisheries bycatch globally, through mechanisms including longline hooks, trawl cables, gillnets and purse seines. Albatrosses and petrels are among the groups particularly affected.

Sea turtles are also accidentally captured on fishing hooks and in nets. The FAO has noted that obtaining a reliable global estimate of turtle deaths from fisheries remains difficult because monitoring is incomplete, but bycatch is recognised as a major threat to several species.

Sharks and rays are similarly vulnerable to accidental capture. Historical FAO assessments have documented millions of sharks and rays being taken as bycatch in some high-seas driftnet fisheries, illustrating the scale of non-target marine mortality associated with fishing operations.

Against this global backdrop, India reiterated its support for scientific studies and evidence-based conservation of whales and other cetaceans. It called for greater cooperation between governments, researchers and local communities to develop practical approaches suited to local conditions.

India has been a member of the IWC since 1981. The Commission currently has 89 member governments.

In Indian waters, cetacean species receive the highest level of legal protection under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. The country has also established Marine Protected Areas that provide protection to marine biodiversity, including whales, dolphins, dugongs, sharks, rays, turtles and corals.

India’s Project Dolphin, launched in 2020, takes a broader approach covering both marine and riverine dolphins and associated aquatic ecosystems. The programme combines habitat protection, scientific research, monitoring and community participation.

Recent government information says India’s first range-wide population assessment of riverine dolphins has been completed, while the programme has also strengthened legal recognition and protection for the Gangetic and Indus river dolphins.

India has also highlighted the Arabian Sea humpback whale for focused conservation efforts.

IWC-70 is taking place in the year marking the 80th anniversary of the signing of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in 1946, under which the International Whaling Commission was established.

The Commission’s agenda today reflects how the conservation challenge has changed. While the regulation of whaling remains part of its mandate, the IWC now also addresses threats such as bycatch, entanglement, ship strikes, habitat degradation, pollution and climate-related changes to marine ecosystems.