WHEREAS the Commission passed a Resolution on Research Related to Conservation of Large Baleen Whales in the Southern Oceans at the 45th Annual Meeting requesting the Scientific Committee to provide an outline of objectives, methodologies, chances of success and short and long term financial implications;

NOTING that an intersessional meeting of the Steering Group on such research based on the above mentioned Resolution was held in Tokyo last October, and reported to the Scientific Committee so as to facilitate its work, including suggestions for possible objectives and a possible sequence of work;

NOTING public concern regarding the status of the populations of large baleen whales, especially after the under-reporting of whale catches by former Soviet whaling fleets in the Southern Hemisphere; and

RECOGNISING the increasing concerns of the need for research on the effects on environmental changes on whale resources by Resolution passed at the 45th Annual Meeting of the Commission;

NOTING that Japan plans a sighting survey cruise for blue and Bryde's whales in the waters of the Solomon Islands in September and October 1994;

NOW THEREFORE THE COMMISSION

APPROVES the objectives and sequence of work suggested by the Steering Group in 1994 and discussed by the Scientific Committee at the 46th Annual Meeting in so far as they do not require lethal methods;

REQUESTS the Chairman of the Scientific Committee in collaboration with the Secretary of the Commission to establish an intersessional correspondence group to clarify and initiate the preparatory work on the research items identified in Annex L of IWC/46/4; REQUESTING that group to meet as a Steering Committee prior to next year's meeting of the Scientific Committee as may be deemed necessary to consolidate their work;

FURTHER REQUESTS that the group consider among other items:

(a) the practical and financial implication of using passive, towed acoustic arrays to expand the search path width for sighting surveys of blue, pygmy blue and other whales;

(b) ways in which work can commence on developing shipboard identification methods to separate true from pygmy blue whales;

(c) the practical and financial implications of using satellite tracking to locate feeding and breeding grounds for blue whales and compile a summary of relevant applications and development work.

REQUESTS the Scientific Committee to prepare a discussion paper of these topics for presentation to the Commission at its 47th Annual Meeting with the objective of gaining Commission approval and financial support for research programme implementation in 1995/96;

AGREES that the Secretariat shall allocate no more than £10,000 in the 1994/95 budget for the work of the intersessional working group; and ENCOURAGES all Contracting Governments to structure their own national research projects related to this subject so as to contribute to any approved research programme.