Subsistence whale hunting dates back to 400AD (Perrin et al 2009). Large-scale industrialised whaling to provide whale oil commenced in the late nineteenth century. Hunts escalated in the early 20th century and reports to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) show that over two million great whales were killed in hunts in the Southern Ocean between 1925 and 1985 and that unreported ‘pirate’ whaling was also widespread (Clapham & Ivashenko 2009). In 1982, as several whale species neared extinction, the IWC agreed an international moratorium on commercial whaling, which took effect in 1986.

The stranding of cetaceans raises significant welfare and associated logistical issues. A survey of opinions on euthanasia methods based on the recommendations of an International Whaling Commission (IWC) workshop was conducted. Descriptive statistics showed that the workshop recommendations were generally supported and understood, and these included the use of specific euthanasia techniques, but important barriers to adherence were identified, including lack of governmental support, lack of resources, and lack of experienced or trained personnel. Conjoint analysis of factors identified that ‘time to death’ was considered the most important determinant of welfare outcome. In view of the findings of this study, it is recommended that the IWC should consider creating a training programme for responders (both veterinary and non-veterinary) to ensure that trained personnel are available who can implement timely and tailored euthanasia techniques, if required, when strandings occur. Further research on this topic is also advocated to ensure a better understanding of what is being applied in different nations.

Man's activities have impacted on the Southern Ocean ecosystem for more than 200 years. The exploitation of Southern Ocean resources has followed the same pattern as in other parts of the World Ocean with exploitation starting at the highest trophic levels when seals and whales were taken in the 19th and 20th centuries. After serious over-exploitation of these groups attention moved down the food web to begin exploitation of fish and krill from the late 1960s onwards. The establishment of international management regimes for whales (International Whaling Convention) in 1948 and the remaining marine resources (Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) in 1982 were based on different perceptions of management, the former only considering management by species whilst the latter adopted management at an ecosystem level. These fundamentally different approaches, together with major political interference, have resulted in very different outcomes for management. The Scientific Committee of the IWC developed a sustainable management system, the Revised Management Procedure, in the first half of the 1990s which, however, is still awaiting inclusion into an overall management regime, the Revised Management Scheme, and its acceptance by the Commission. The IWC is now paralysed by political agendas that have nothing to do with scientific management. In contrast, after an early period of slow progress, CCAMLR has improved its performance substantially from the beginning of the 1990s onwards and is now hailed worldwide for its ecosystem approach to sustainable management.