Cetacean Sanctuary

A cetacean sanctuary is a designated area set aside to protect whales, dolphins, and porpoises from hunting, disturbance, and habitat degradation. The largest is the IWC Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, declared in 1994, which bans commercial whaling across waters surrounding Antarctica. National examples include marine sanctuaries that restrict whaling, vessel traffic, and seismic noise to safeguard breeding, feeding, and migration. Designation varies from binding no-take rules to advisory zones; effectiveness depends on enforcement against bycatch, ship strikes, and underwater noise. Cetacean sanctuaries complement migratory-species instruments such as ASCOBANS and CMS for mobile marine mammals.