Why was enforcing International Whaling Commission regulations difficult?

Enforcing International Whaling Commission (IWC) regulations proved difficult for several structural and political reasons:

• Delegated Enforcement: The IWC itself lacked direct enforcement authority; instead, the responsibility for implementing and upholding regulations rested entirely with individual national governments.1
• Limited Authority: The commission’s powers were largely restricted to persuasion. Member nations frequently undermined conservation efforts by ignoring contraventions, breaching established regulations, or simply leaving the commission altogether when policies conflicted with their national interests.1
• Political and Commercial Interests: Restraint was consistently hampered by the selfishness of commercial entities and the influence of political interests. Because the IWC relied on consensus and majority voting, it struggled to maintain control over a competitive industry driven by the demand for whale products.12
• Inadequate Standards: Early regulatory metrics, such as the Blue Whale Unit (BWU), were fundamentally flawed. By focusing on oil yield rather than accurate population counts, these standards failed to reflect the actual number of whales killed, leading to over-exploitation.12

Ultimately, the IWC’s inability to effectively police its members allowed for a significant rise in whale catches during its early decades.1