Species-level assessments can sometimes mask profound issues with specific populations or communities of marine mammals; for example, it is thought that the last remaining coastal community of killer whales in the UK will disappear within our lifetimes. It is also the case that new cetacean species and populations are being discovered which are then very quickly found to be threatened. For these reasons, taking a precautionary approach to policymaking is particularly important for marine mamm...

Species-level assessments can sometimes mask profound issues with specific populations or communities of marine mammals; for example, it is thought that the last remaining coastal community of killer whales in the UK will disappear within our lifetimes. It is also the case that new cetacean species and populations are being discovered which are then very quickly found to be threatened. For these reasons, taking a precautionary approach to policymaking is particularly important for marine mammal conservation. We also condemn the abuse of IWC guidelines whereby certain countries carry out de facto commercial operations under the guise of scient Type: conclusion | Number: 1 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: The government agrees with the Committee on the importance of applying the precautionary principle when developing policy and prioritising marine mammal protection where appropriate. The legal duty to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statemen