An in-depth analysis of one of the most complex and intriguing legal and sociological phenomena of the contemporary period.

Malgosia Fitzmaurice is Professor of Public International Law at the Department of Law, Queen Mary University of London. She is also the Nippon Foundation Visiting Professor of Marine Environmental Law at the International Maritime Law Institute of the International Maritime Organisation, Malta. She has published on the subjects of environmental law, the law of treaties, indigenous peoples and whaling.

Introduction; 1. The history of whaling; 2. The International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling; 3. The International Whaling Commission; 4. Cultural diversity; 5. Environmental ethics, animal rights and the law; 6. The IWC and its interaction with other organisations and conventions; 7. Indigenous whaling; 8. A case study of the protection of the narwhal whale; Conclusion; Appendix 1. Taxonomy of whales: a brief introduction; Appendix 2. 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling.