 Even if whalers failed to meet targets, the year’s plan remained unchanged (i.e., it did not lower in response to whalers failing to meet targets unlike its continuous increase if they exceed targets), which gave the crews all the more incentive to meet targets by killing any whale they could find regardless of legality, as failure to meet targets could result in a reduction of pay or other penalties.Killed whales were recorded on what were known as “whale passports” documenting the type of whale, length, gender, and date on which it was killed.All whales were listed this way, and the reports were kept hidden in secret vaults by KGB agents, after which the tally of the actual catch was falsified to ensure that it “complied” with IWC regulations.