The 62nd annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) kicked off Monday in Morocco's Atlantic Ocean resort of Agadir.

A showdown between pro- and anti-whaling nations has been expected at the five-day meeting, as delegates will consider a compromise proposal to lift the ban on commercial whaling, which has alarmed Australia.

The IWC compromise proposal would allow Japan, Norway and Iceland to continue commercial whaling for another decade, despite a global ban.

It claimed between 4,000 and 18,000 whales could be saved over the next 10 years under the compromise proposal, which sets lower catch limits for all three whaling nations than the self-imposed quotas they have now.

There would be rigorous monitoring of whaling, and no other countries in the 88-nation commission would be allowed to start whaling operations during the 10-year plan.

The environmentally delicate Southern Ocean would be designated as a sanctuary, but whalers from Japan would still be allowed to take a number of the marine mammals from the seas around Antarctica.

On Friday, Australian Environment Protection Minister Peter Garrett warned that the proposal may yield a "terrible, terrible" result for whales.

"Recent statements by whaling countries in the commission have provided Australia with little cause for hope that our serious commitment to conservation of the world's whales will be reflected in any IWC compromise agreement," Garrett said in a statement.

"In particular, there seems to be little chance that whaling in the Southern Ocean will be brought to an end."