International Marine Mammal Law is a comprehensive, introductory volume on the legal regimes governing the conservation and utilisation of marine mammals. Written as a textbook, it provides basic overviews of international conservation law, which enable the reader to understand the greater implications of governance of a specific group of species. Paired with biological information on some marine mammal species, the international regimes for whales, seals and polar bears are explored — either as part of global regimes of international environmental governance or as regimes that were specifically designed for them. The book concludes with outlooks on the future of international marine mammal law, particularly in light of Japan’s withdrawal from the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in July 2019.

Whales: large, mysterious, intelligent, and endangered. Over the years, large-scale commercial whaling has gradually devoured several species, resulting in a global moratorium issues by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1986. Current debate centers on the validity of this ban given strong opposition from whaling communities in Norway and Japan, Iceland’s withdrawal frm the IWC, and reputed recovery of some whale populations. The International Politics of Whaling is a fascinating study of the politics, environmental dilemmas, and ethical questions surrounding this highly controversial issue. Peter Stoett seeks to clarify the multidimensional nature of whaling as well as its relation to other crucial environmental concerns such as ozone depletion, global warming, and marine pollution. Stoett combines a sensitivity to ecological questios with a hard assessment of the political realities of the international community in order to assess this important issue.