Is Whale Hunting A Cultural-Activity?

Whale hunting has been a way of life for the Makah Tribe for more than 2000 years. They have traditionally depended on the whale meat to survive as well as they have utilized the whales blubber and oil. The dependence on whale hunting has caused the whale to be an integral part of the Makah culture. The whale is in their songs, dances, designs and basketry. It has given them a disciple and pride in their tribe. Yet for the past seventy years the Makah has been prevented from hunting due to the gray whale, the whale they hunt, being on the endangered list. In 1994 the gray whale was removed form the endangered list opening the possibility of the Makah Tribe to hunt again. Yet this possibility has caused anti-whaling organizations

In the 1800s the Northern Right Whales were killed mainly because their bodies have oily fat, which was used as a fuel at the time, they were also killed to make umbrellas, and whips (Endangered wildlife of the world). Other reasons for the Northern Right Whale being endangered is due to habitat pollution, Toxins, Climate and ecosystem change, Ruckus from whale-watching activities and noise from industrial activities. Also the death of the whales now is due to ship collisions and entanglement in fishing gear has limited the population’s recovery

I do not agree with Japan and Norway since all global agreements should be followed. Allowing these nations to continue whaling despite all other countries complying may lead to a dangerous precedent where many nations living with endangered species like Lions and elephants will also follow suit and demand exemption

Supposedly, in Japan, the whales are killed for their meat for science however they were instead being sold in food markets or even given away for free to hospitals and schools. This encourages the consumption of whale meat. The Japanese kill many different types of whales for example, 200 minke whales, 100 sei whales, 50 bryde’s and 10 sperm whales under scientific research. There is also Norway, which didn’t respect the IWC ban until 1993 as they continued hunting for minke whales. Norway has a fixed number of whalers its whalers are permitted to kill for commercial reasons.

Did you know annually 1,000 or more dolphins are killed by fisherman in Taiji, Japan for meat and monetary needs? Given a set quota from the Japanese government the fishermen can host their notorious annual dolphin hunt from September until March. With a quota of a little under 2,000 dolphins’, fishermen are allowed to hunt various species that are killed either for meat or sold to marine parks. To help bring attraction to this horrific dolphin hunt the Oscar-winning film The Cove, was produced with graphic footage of dolphins being slaughtered, shocking people all around the world. Activist have debated the towns pursuit of dolphins for human consumption and entertainment. This debate resulted in a protest so strong it

As a person who grew admiring the wildlife, the rumor that numerous species of animals are currently experiencing major changes in life can be confirmed by myself. From global warming to over hunting and poaching, these species have strongly been affected by humanity’s increase in food and space as our dominance over the planet continues. One family of animals affected in numbers by man is the Cetaceans, the family of whales and dolphins, who for two centuries have been farmed by man in mass numbers for their sources in a process known as whaling. Whaling is a dangerous process, but in the short run, it is not as important as people tend to believe, not for humans but for the sake of the whales.

Since the 1986 Whaling moratorium, scientific whaling is the only whaling that the IWC (International Whaling Commission) using the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) which allows a country’s government to issue permits to use lethal methods as long as the whaling is for science. Iceland and Norway were originally signatories of this ruling and stopped commercial whaling for a short period and only had scientific whaling however they have since broken apart from the IWC and continue to whale commercially around their waters. Other countries such as Canada and the United states are granted aboriginal rights for whaling in small numbers for tradition and ceremonies of certain communities (Côté & Farvaro, 2016). Japan’s scientific whaling program is the most active of all countries within the IWC. Since the 1986 moratorium Japan’s Institute for Cetacean Research has been granted 5 whaling permits.

The topic I’m going to be talking about it whaling, the question you may be asking is what is whaling? Whaling is the process that is mainly done by Japanese ships where they hunt and kill whales for their meat, oil and bones. Here is a little background on why the Japanese killed the whales. The Japanese has been killing whales for hundred and hundreds of years, so much so that it is part of their history. Whaling was a very important part of Japan before and during the WWII, when whale meat made up for one-quarter of Japan diets because it was so easy to get and it was very cheap. Now they didn’t really use the whale meat as much, they mainly use the whale oil for everyday products, ingredient for different foods, lubrication for motor parts.

Commercial whaling is a serious world issue that has always been difficult for those who are in support and those who are against it. Each group defends their side with convincing arguments. Morally, whaling is wrong, but do the reasons for whaling outweigh the reasons to cease the primitive hunts? By studying the effects of whaling,realizing how culture has changed over time, and taking note of the money that would be saved, it can clearly be seen that there is no longer a current need for whaling to continue. Efforts have been made to try to stop whaling, but with no help from any authoritative figure,nothing has been done to regulate the whaling. The famous sea shepherd, known for its strikes against whaling, can even be seen on

Japan is one of the few countries that support the practice whaling. For decades, the country has continued to maintain its right to whale and shown aggressively lobbying with the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for reconsideration of commercial whaling. Commercial whaling is a practice that involves the hunting and killing whales for their oil meat, or whalebone. With their pro-stance on whaling, Japan has faced strong international criticism especially from environmentalists and Western governments, which view Japan as obstructing international efforts to protect these mammals. This paper will argue that Japan should not be forced to remove the practice of commercial whaling in order to satisfy the international views. This is because

Countless amounts of great whales will be illegally caught and slaughtered for commercial sale and “scientific” research this year. In spite of a worldwide moratorium, put in place by the International Whaling Commission twenty four years ago banning the act of commercial whaling, three defiant countries continue to hunt whales illegally. If these countries hunt whales against the law and continue to get away with minimal consequence it may encourage other countries to resume their whaling operations. If stricter laws are not out in place the whale populations will be hunted to extinction and the greatest conservation accomplishment of the twentieth century will go down the drain.

Nobody in Japan eats whale. Japan consumes six percent of the world’s fish harvest, consider whales as fish, but still don’t eat whale meat. Secondly, to get whale meat, you need to kill the whale. To kill whales, you go whaling. However, the demand for whale meat isn’t very common in Japan. “The Japan Times reports that whale meat selling in markets and restaurants aren't helping with whaling. The only way that whaling is ongoing is because of subsidies given by the government” (Hinckley). The demand for whale meat is not common so there is no use in whaling. The only thing that supports whaling is the government. The last reason is that whale meat was actually needed before but know whale meat isn’t needed because of other animals being used as food. “When food was limited, whale meat was used as a good source of protein. Because of this, whaling was needed to obtain whale meat to feed people. Officials say that the low demand of whale meat has caused whaling to be unnecessary” (Hata). Whaling is unnecessary because whale meat is no longer needed or wanted. Killing whales for meat won’t help with the economy without people buying it. On the other hand,

To put this in perspective quotas and catch limits enacted by the Japanese Fisheries Agency in the calendar year 2013 allowed for the killing of 16,655 small cetaceans. This industry though under the veil of regulation in Japan is actually highly unregulated with many rules allowing for discretion on the side of the fishermen rather than direct input from scientist. Current analysis of the available data demonstrates concerns regarding the sustainability of these hunts.

Whaling is defined as hunting and killing of whales by humans for resources, mainly meat, blubber and baleen (whalebone) obtained from whales. These resources are then sold for commercial purposes and thus, whaling has become economical important for centuries (Joanne 2007; The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia 2007). Scientific whaling is conducted by hunting whales for research purposes and further analysis to study on whale’s behaviour, characteristics and distribution (Joanne 2007). Commercial whaling is a controversial whaling practice that exploits whale products for trade and profit. Recently, Japan, Norway and Iceland are the major contributors of commercial whaling and deeply support any other whaling activities (Joanne 2007). Moratorium on commercial whaling 1986 is a global ban of hunting whales for commercial purposes, implemented by International Whaling Commission (IWC). Under Article VIII, unlimited scientific research is permitted but sufficient data and analysis are required by Science Committee set up by IWC (Papastavrou 2006).

Many countries and organizations are suspicious of Japan’s intentions, which includes the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Many saw this as an act of deception. Recently the state of North Korea gave its stand on the argument of Japan’s whaling industry and scientific research: “North Korea slammed Japan for its whaling practices . . ., calling the hunt for marine mammals a “criminal act”” (Shim). Some reason that “scientific research” as a means for commercial whaling. Many believe that Japan wishes to continue its tradition of commercial whaling: “North Korea also said Japan’s claims to “scientific research” was nothing more than a smokescreen to hide its commercial objectives. Each country is responsible for regulating the whaling industry not the IWC. Thus each country sets the amount whales that can be caught in the hunting season: “In other words, Japan’s approves its own permits for scientific whaling without any external scrutiny or need for explanation” (“Ending Commercial Whaling”). The process of killing a whale or dolphin is long and painful. The methods used by Japanese whalers are barbaric at best. The use of