Problems with the Japanese Whaling Industry

The debate surrounding Makah whaling is a heated one to say the least. There are valid points on both sides of the argument, but there is one side I find to be more valid once the facts have been looked at. I will examine and present my findings regarding past and current laws and regulations related to whaling, types of whaling, other countries that take an active part in whaling (and why), as well as the Makah culture – both past and present. In this paper I will argue why the Makah should not be allowed to resume whaling, as it is unnecessary and could potentially put the grey whale species back on the endangered list.

Did you know that roughly three million whales were slaughtered in the twentieth century alone? Or that there are only around four hundred North Atlantic right whales alive today because they never fully recovered from being hunted? These whales are known as “right” whales because they are large and slow, with thick blubber that yields lots of oil plus they remain afloat after they've been killed, this simplifies the whole hunting process for everyone . Furthermore, the hunters got more money for less work. I believe that whaling is a vile and pointless thing to do to such beautiful creatures and that the International Whaling Commission should look further into the use of whales for research.

Did you know that in the last 50 years over two million whales have been killed? The United States views whaling very differently than Japan does. It is a complicated and controversial topic. Many people have opinions about whale hunting. However, everyone should know both sides of the whale hunting issues before they act on the issue. To start out I am going to tell you a little about whaling. The first whale hunters were in the prehistoric times. At first they would just kill and eat beached whales. That became such a habit that they started hunting them. Most whale hunters use harpoons, guns, lances, or bombs that blow up inside the whale. They use catcher boats, or kayaks. In 1925, whalers developed

Brian Handwerk4 discusses the Southern Sanctuary which was established as a “compromise effort during this week's meeting.” The Southern Sanctuary was developed in 1994 and presumed, “that 19 million square miles (50 million square kilometers) of waters surrounding Antarctica—as a critical space safe from commercial whaling. Most of the world's whales feed in these waters.”4 People should care about whales because they are being hunted, which is illegal. The whales’ population is damage due to hunting. The people who eat sushi with whale meat in it. The people are a part of the problem because they are demanding an animal that is near extinction. The ecosystem is affected because whales are a part of it. Whales are a part of the ocean. In the ocean is revolving cycle, such as planktons being eating by fish, which are eaten by whales. In order for the ocean to function, a cycle has to happen, Jeremy Jackson5. A solution could be finding another meat to use to substitute whale meat, or having a numerous amount of customer that stop demanding sushi. By lower demand the Japanese will have no reason to kill the Minke whale because it is not a request.

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

The Cove, directed by Louie Psihoyos, is an award winning documentary that spotlights how the Japanese hunt and kill dolphins by the tens of thousands and how a group of people try to stop and expose this to the world. The chapter about the International Whaling Commission (IWC) brings forward a few key points that need to be discussed. The IWC is a group of nations that come together and make decisions based on how they can preserve cetaceans. The smaller cetaceans, like dolphins, are not protected under the bigger umbrella. In order to bypass the rules of the IWC, a loophole is used; a nation can claim that they are killing and collecting whales for research and the IWC will not stop them. The Japanese are trying to legalize whaling worldwide.

The increase in the fishing industry could be due to any number of things such as the weather, the time of year, or even the lack of a whale’s presence. It does not suggest that the whales are consuming the fish or that they are depleting important fish populations. Also, it has been proven that commercial whaling does impact the whaling industries in pro whaling countries. If money is the end goal for some of these countries they could just adopt the whale watching industry rather than commercial whaling because in the end, due to conservation movements, it will probably be making more money. If Japan wants to continue whaling under scientific research pretenses, then I’m sure they can find more humane and less invasive ways to collect data such as studying beached or already dead whales rather than killing them, as well as taking samples from live whales using minimally invasive techniques. Furthermore, in countries such as Norway who commercially whale specifically for the meat for human consumption, well they should be required to put warning labels on whale meat detailing how the animal was killed as well as how much mercury the meat

Despite the whaling ban in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission, some countries are refusing to stop doing this practice especially Japan. After the 1986 ban, Japan launched their supposed scientific whaling program which is widely known as their cover for their commercial whaling practice. Supporters of the whaling ban claim that reversing the ban will cause whale populations to become endangered or even extinct. Also, supporters of the IWC whaling ban say that the IWC should maintain the ban and establish stricter rules regarding the ban. Proponents also claim that the whale populations have yet to return to its former population before the excessive hunting happened. “Anti-whaling groups such as Greenpeace point to species such as the West Pacific gray whale, of which, according to some estimates, there are only about 100 left. According to Palumbi and Roman's whale population study, the North Atlantic humpback whale population before commercial whaling was more than 20 times what it is now.( )” Even with IWC whaling ban Japan, Iceland, and Norway continue to hunt illegally.

Whale hunting is a very controversial issue. Some argue that it is morally wrong to hunt an animal with such a high level of intelligence, some argue that whales shouldn’t be hunting due to their dwindling numbers and their risk for extinction, and others argue that it is the only means of food for some indigenous people who have been hunting whales for centuries. I personally, am against commercial whaling, but do understand the IWC’s (International Whaling Commission) catch limits for aboriginal subsistence whaling.

The Ocean Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that focuses on protecting and preserving marine wildlife and its habitats. The Ocean Conservancy was founded in 1972 as the Delta Corporation. One of the Ocean Conservancy’s first priorities was starting the ‘Whale Protection Fund’, which advocated for the saving of whales from hunters and protesting commercial whaling by countries in Asia and Europe. The organization realized that they had to raise support from the public to invest in scientific research. Soon, they were able to spread the message and raise awareness about the whaling industry. The organization’s effort paid off in 1982, when the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling.

The ethics of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) are debated by the small-scale societies their decisions impact most, and some fair arguments have been made in favor of less regulation, just as the IWC has defended its cause for greater control. My ethical statement is that it is necessary for the IWC to make decisions about indigenous tribal whaling policies for the benefit of the indigenous peoples as well as the whales. The fairness of its policies and restrictions on whaling is exhibited in the cases of the Inuit, who still largely rely on whaling for sustenance and materials, and in Japan, which is no longer allowed to practice free commercial whaling, as it no longer depends on whales to maintain supplies. If the IWC

Whaling has become a global environmental issue as vast numbers of whales are killed commercially and scientifically every year. Intense debate on the necessity of whaling has been stirred but failed to be resolved due to the lacking of pragmatic measures employed by the responsible parties. Whaling nations continue to defend their whaling right for cultural and research purposes. Yet, ethical and humanity issues are among the controversial disputes raised by concerned public. In February 2010, International Whaling Commission (IWC) proposed a plan of lifting whaling ban by limiting scientific whaling activities with the intention of reducing overall number of whales killed besides solving the current impasse between pro

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

Aboriginal peoples have been whaling as a tradition for thousands of years with it being a significant part of their culture. They have depended on whales for food, clothing and other handicrafts. Whaling was key to survival and the Natives have honored the sacrifice of each whale through spiritual rituals and ceremonies. It gives them a purpose and discipline which benefits their whole community. This has not been a problem for many centuries, only recently have animal activists been trying to stop the hunting of whales. The Makah people have been the main subjects to the opposition of whaling on the basis that it is unnecessary for their culture or their survival. This has been an ongoing issue since 1999, when they harvested their first whale in 70 years. The violent backlash received has prevented them from gaining permission to hunt after that which led to the illegal killing of a whale in 2007. To present day, the Makah has gotten many undeserved death threats and bomb threats to schools. Many complaints have been made that the hunting method differs from how it was done traditionally so the hunting cannot be considered as one of their cultural practices. By denying the Makah cultural rights, this controversy could lead to cultural genocide. The Makah people should be allowed to harvest a total of 24 whales in 6-year period with two hunting seasons of 3 weeks each because it is the main factor in preserving their culture, it will not cause the gray whale population to

Whaling has been occurring for over thousands of years. Norwegians and the Japanese’s where the first to hunt whales, as early as 4,000 years ago (Marrero and Thornton 2011). Whaling traditions varied in different parts of the globe, for instance the Inuit hunted in the Arctic Ocean, the Basque hunted in the Atlantic, and the Japanese hunted in the Pacific. All these cultures relied on whales to provide material goods for food,