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Whaling: Humpback Whale and Whales

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Whales have been swimming in the Earth’s oceans for 20 million years; their haunting songs can travel underwater for thousands of miles, they are the largest animals to exist on Earth yet they survive on some of the smallest organisms. A whale’s heart can weigh up to 1,300 pounds, and a baby whale can drink up to 130 gallons of its mother’s milk each day (Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, 2010). Currently whale hunters claim that they are killing whales for scientific purposes; however, whale meat is being sold at a high price, considered a delicacy, and found on more than 5000 Japanese school menus (Jamsey, 2010). The International Whaling Commission (IWC) with the support of the current United States President Barrack Obama wants …show more content…

This is alarming to many because whales reproduce at a slow rate of one calf every one to three years (Animal Corner, 2010). Lifting the ban on whaling could also make more countries interested in whaling otherwise it would be legal for any country.
Lifting the whaling ban would also affect the indigenous peoples relying on whales for sustenance. These people such as the Eskimo people of Alaska do kill whales however, this is not only a cultural part of the Eskimo livelihood, the Eskimo’s are not selling whale meat for profit. The indigenous people tend to use the whole whale, from the meat to feed villages, to the blubber for their heaters; there is not one part of the whale that goes to waste. This one whale can sustain a whole village for an entire winter depending on the size. A positive aspect of lifting the ban is the creation of jobs. The countries that currently kill whales employ many people. This helps stabilize an economy through the purchase of ships, processing centers, and every aspect imaginable from deck hands to the supermarkets that carry the whale meat. On the other hand of this it is fair to say that whale tourism generates roughly a billion dollars a year. This would include whale watching trips, film and industry as well as a huge consumer market of whale-related merchandise. The issues that arise are similar; people from all countries have different views on

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