Defenders of whaling argue that every part of a whale can be used and processed to make oil, shoe polish, perfume, fertilizer, soap, shampoo, and other products. The response, since the International Whaling Commission formed in 1946, is that whales must be protected in order to prevent their extinction. Altruism was not the only inspiration for this meeting of nations. Commercial interests feared the over-exploitation, and thus the lower prices, that increased whaling might yield.