CITES Factsheet: Minke Whales

Following the disastrous impacts of whaling during the 20th century, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) suspended commercial whaling in 1986. CITES has supported the work of the IWC by agreeing to list those whales protected by the IWC on Appendix I, eliminating the international trade in whale meats and fat. Japan is keen to resume trade in whale products, but in order to do so they need to downlist whales from CITES Appendix I.