W hales and dolphins of St Lucia island are being killed in large numbers, according to the International Whaling Commission ( iwc ). At least 96 dolphins and 65 whales were killed on the island during 1999. "These numbers amount to one of the largest officially recorded inten-tional mammal kills in North and South America,' claim officials of iwc . St Lucia Whale and Dolphin Association ( slwda ), a non-profit organisation, reported the killings. Though such killings are a common feature on many Caribbean islands, the iwc has evidences on cetacean kills only from St Lucia. Government officials, however, contend that the cetacean hunts are strictly regulated and iwc has exaggerated the issue.