INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION

What INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION does

The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is an inter-governmental organization established in 1946 under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) and headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It comprises 89 member governments and operates as the only global body with a specific mandate for cetacean conservation and whaling regulation. Its core work includes regulating commercial, aboriginal subsistence, and special permit whaling; coordinating the 1982 commercial whaling moratorium (in force since 1986); and administering two designated cetacean sanctuaries (Indian Ocean, 1979; Southern Ocean, 1994).

The IWC's platform architecture is built around a set of scientific databases and tools maintained by a small Secretariat (36 employees) and an approximately 200-member Scientific Committee. Core data assets include the Abundance Estimates Database, the Global Vessel Strikes Database (initiated 2007), the Database of Recommendations, and population assessment models. Operational offerings span three international research programmes (POWER in the North Pacific, SORP in the Southern Ocean, RERI on marine renewable energy impacts); conservation programmes (Bycatch Mitigation Initiative, Global Whale Entanglement Response Network, IWC Strandings Initiative, Global Vessel Strikes Database, eight active Conservation Management Plans, Extinction Alerts); and public-facing products (the Whale Watching Handbook, the open-access Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, an E-Learning Course, and the welfare assessment tool endorsed in 2022).

The IWC does not sell products or services. Its revenue model is built on assessed member government contributions organised through a Capacity to Pay Groups system, supplemented by voluntary contributions from governments, international organisations, and other donors into a Voluntary Conservation Fund. GTM is institutional: biennial Commission meetings (next: IWC70 in September 2026 in Hobart), intersessional scientific workshops, and partnerships with CMS, FAO, IMO, IUCN, ACCOBAMS, NAMMCO, WWF, SPREP, and the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory.

Name

INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION

Legal name

International Whaling Commission

Website

https://iwc.int

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Whaling Commission is an inter-governmental organization of 89 member governments, established in 1946 and headquartered in Cambridge, UK, that regulates whaling and coordinates global cetacean conservation through scientific databases, research programmes, and conservation management plans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intergovernmental Marine Conservation Regulation

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Coastal & Marine Resources Administration (Oceans, Fisheries, Shorelines) (BPAIAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE), Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Oceans, Coastal & Marine Resource Management (BPADALAI), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG)

Keywords

• Whale conservation management
• Cetacean population assessment
• Marine wildlife regulation
• Intergovernmental conservation
• Fisheries bycatch mitigation

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Member Government Contributions: The IWC operates through financial contributions from its 89 member governments, structured through a Capacity to Pay Groups system.
2. Voluntary Conservation Fund: Accepts contributions from member governments, international organisations and other donors to support conservation activities.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The International Whaling Commission is an inter-governmental regulatory body established in 1946 under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. It coordinates the conservation of whales and the management of whaling through scientific assessments, regulatory frameworks (including the commercial whaling moratorium), international research programmes, and conservation initiatives addressing threats such as bycatch, entanglement, vessel strikes, ocean noise, pollution, and marine debris.

Product overview

The International Whaling Commission operates primarily as an inter-governmental organization focused on whale conservation and whaling regulation, rather than a traditional product company. The IWC's offerings include web-based platforms (the main iwc.int website, IWC Data Portal, Database of Recommendations), research journals (JCRM), educational resources (E-Learning Course), and conservation handbooks (Whale Watching Handbook). These are complemented by international research programmes (IWC-POWER, IWC-SORP, IWC-RERI) and conservation initiatives (Bycatch Mitigation Initiative, Global Whale Entanglement Response Network, IWC Strandings Initiative, Global Vessel Strikes Database, Conservation Management Plans). The organization also maintains the IWC Archive for historical documents and meeting records.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IWC Website (iwc.int)

Quantifiable outcome

• Southern Hemisphere blue whale population increasing at 8.2% per year (95% CI 3.8-12.5%)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on migratory cetacean conservation, including joint workshops on identifying ship strike hotspots using Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs).
• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on FAO technical guidelines to prevent and reduce bycatch of marine mammals in capture fisheries, including the development of Marine Mammal Bycatch Mitigation Factsheets.
• International Maritime Organization (IMO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with the IMO's Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) to address vessel strikes, including submitting reports on mitigation measures and outcomes and identifying whale habitat hotspots.
• Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint workshops on identifying ship strike hotspots and collaboration on Conservation Management Plans for Mediterranean sperm whales and fin whales.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Red List assessments and joint workshops on identifying ship strike hotspots using Important Marine Mammal Areas (IMMAs). IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group produces Red List assessments for cetaceans.
• North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on improving the humaneness of whaling operations; NAMMCO works with hunting communities on welfare issues.
• World Shipping Council (WSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the 'Whale Chart' navigation aid launched in 2023, listing measures implemented globally to reduce vessel strike risks to mariners.
• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative workshop series on Blue Corridors, Bycatch Mitigation, and Small Cetacean Stock Assessment.
• Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative workshop series on Blue Corridors, Bycatch Mitigation, and Small Cetacean Stock Assessment.
• Benioff Ocean Science LaboratorymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative workshop with IWC aiming to improve understanding of global hotspots of vessel strike risk and standardisation of risk assessment approaches.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS): Regional inter-governmental agreement focused exclusively on cetaceans under CMS auspices. Directly collaborates with IWC on Conservation Management Plans for Mediterranean sperm and fin whales, addressing the same species and threats at smaller geographic scope.
• Convention on Migratory Species (CMS): UN treaty under which IWC is a partner; covers migratory species conservation globally. Shares similar structure — inter-governmental membership, science-driven recommendations, and conservation agreements for specific taxa — making it a closely comparable governance body.
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): Inter-governmental treaty body regulating international trade in endangered species, including cetaceans. Like the IWC, it operates through member governments, uses science-based decision-making, and is hosted under UN auspices with a small secretariat in Geneva.
• North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO): Regional inter-governmental body for marine mammal management in the North Atlantic. Works with the IWC on hunting-welfare issues and shares scientific and regulatory functions over cetaceans, though with a more whaling-tolerant policy orientation.
• International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN): Global conservation authority producing Red List assessments for cetaceans and other species. IUCN's science-policy integration and membership-driven governance directly mirror the IWC's approach, and the two organizations co-produce cetacean conservation outputs.

Broad incumbents

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO): UN agency collaborating with IWC on technical guidelines to prevent marine mammal bycatch in capture fisheries. FAO's fisheries-management influence is essential for implementing IWC's bycatch mitigation recommendations across global fishing fleets.
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP): UN system coordinator for environmental policy, including ocean and biodiversity governance. UNEP convenes broader multilateral frameworks (e.g., ocean noise, marine debris) in which the IWC's cetacean-specific expertise is regularly called upon.
• International Maritime Organization (IMO): UN agency regulating international shipping, including the Marine Environmental Protection Committee that addresses vessel strikes. IMO is the regulatory partner whose decisions most directly affect cetacean protection from shipping — a critical counterpart for IWC's vessel-strike work.
• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF): Major international conservation NGO with active cetacean programmes. WWF's Blue Corridors, bycatch mitigation, and small cetacean stock assessment work overlaps with IWC initiatives and provides a public-facing advocacy complement to IWC's regulatory role.
• Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES): Intergovernmental body assessing biodiversity and ecosystem services globally. Provides overlapping scientific assessment infrastructure for cetacean-related ecosystem reporting and shares IWC's science-to-policy translation mandate, though with broader species scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iwc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLtg7GtpJ_eTaJuPqRyOOhQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-whaling-commission

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION