Of the 54 species proposals on the agenda at the 12th Conference of Parties (COP12) to the CITES, only three involve marine mammals, but two of them are among the most controversial proposals at the conference: Japan's bids to downlist populations of two species of whales, which could undermine the international ban on commercial whaling.

Japan will bid to move populations of two species of whales—minke and Bryde's—from Appendix I to Appendix II, so that the country, and other Parties (specifically, Norway and Iceland), can trade internationally in whale meat and blubber. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) bans commercial whale hunting, but Japan and Norway undertake annual hunts and market the whale meat and blubber anyway.

In another proposal, Georgia wants to stop international trade in Black Sea bottlenose dolphins by transferring the species from Appendix II to Appendix I. This population's numbers are decreasing significantly because of a high demand for the animals at public display facilities.

CITES will also be considering its relationship to the IWC. Historically, CITES has helped to enforce the IWC's ban on commercial whaling by not allowing trade in whale parts and products. The Parties will be asked to vote on one proposal (from Japan) aimed at severing the IWC-CITES relationship and on another (from Mexico) aimed at strengthening that relationship.

To learn more about the proposals, and to see where The HSUS stands on them, check out the synopses below.