Dedicated to topical whaling-related issues and biodiversity preservation, the conference brings together some 200 scientists.

The scientists are set to draft a list of recommendations ahead of the IWC's September conference, which will also be hosted by Slovenia.

The country joined the IWC in 2006 and does not support whaling for commercial or scientific purposes. Slovenia's position is similar to those of New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the US, according to Tilen Genov of the Primorsko University.

One of the most pressing issues is fishing for small whales and dolphins, as well as small whales and dolphins getting tangled in fishing nets, Genov said.

IWC secretary Simon Brockington added that they were currently trying to find ways on how to safely untangle the whales and dolphins from fishing nets. In the future, they will however focus on ways to prevent them from getting tangled up.

Apart from the North Atlantic right whale, big whales, including those targeted by fishermen, are not at the risk of extinction. The fishermen are however endangering individual populations of the various species of big whales.