Whaling In Japan

Japanese fisherman have been hunting whales for over 1,000 years (facts about Japan). In that time, the cultures have learn to revere the animals as sustenance and a form of commerce. From the worlds view, whales should not be hunted, although I'm not sure that the fate of those who depend on this industry to survive has been taken into account. If the species are not endangered and are a form of sustenance to the Norwegian and Japanese fisherman then an amendment to the moratorium on whaling should be made for these cultures. As a factor, there should be strict regulations made that allow only for those who are able to demonstrate a long lineage of whale hunting in addition to being able to prove that it is how they feed themselves and their family. The meat and whale products should not be exported and an area of sea should be mapped to describe the fishing grounds in which their boats can operate. I believe that if these restrictions were to be made and the population of the species of whales being hunted could be accurately determined, then a middle ground could be reached and that both sides of the argument could be

What exactly happened in the whaling industry that had such a detrimental effect on the whale populations?

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 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

When whaling was first started in America it was because the Basques had started hunting and trading products made from whales. First it was the Dutch that had followed them in their whaling and then the British followed them. Finally, America followed the British and soon the huge expedition had started to hunt whales for the oil inside them.

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,

The whaling industry came to America in the early 1700s with shore whaling. Settlers whaled near shore, then sold the whale’s oil, ambergris, and spermaceti for considerable profit. The success of these sales prompted wealthy Quakers from New Bedford and Nantucket Island to invest in whaling ports stocked with efficient ships, equipment, and crews. These ports accumulated much money for the Massachusetts towns. Aided by the inventions of the tryworks and toggling harpoon, America fast became a prominent name in the whaling industry. By 1846, America owned almost 82% of the world’s total whaling ships (Barcott, “In the Shadow of Moby-Dick”). Unfortunate the American whaling industry declined 13 years later as the rising petroleum market and

More than twenty thousand dolphins are killed each year in Japan for their meat. Japanese “drive hunts” are the biggest single slaughter of whales and dolphins in the world. When Louie Psihoyos presented his documentary The Cove at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, the audience was shocked. Most of them had never heard of the Taiji dolphin problem, and even more had likely never witnessed it. Psihoyos (2009) and the rest of his crew had wanted to show the world what was happening to bring awareness to this problem and they did just that.

Killer whales, also known as Orca’s, are the largest members of the dolphin family and the top predator in their ecosystem. They are one of the most intelligent marine creatures, especially due to their acute senses of sight and hearing. The word Orca means connection and leadership. People travel from all over the world just to catch a glimpse of the astounding whale. Their beauty has mesmerized humans for generations, but for many Orca’s, captivity limits their freedom and enjoyment of life. In 1965, orca poaching was at its prime. Over a thousand whales were being captured for either greed or for the purpose of captivity (Timeline of Commercial Whaling Muller). Captivity is a prison for many orcas, it not only damages the whale’s health, but also has a negative impact on breeding, and the danger of humans.

1,000 of whales are still being killed or captured of scientific research or captivity (“Ending Commercial Whaling”). In captivity whales will usually have been separated from their families or often in cruel hunts. People think it is okay to use animals for testing but animals react differently to drugs and putting whales and dolphins in tanks for our “entertainment” is wrong.

Whaling is a prehistoric art. Although the practices of whaling have changed over the years, the principle remains the same: to kill innocent whales in an effort to get meat and oil. Whaling is defined as “the practice or industry of hunting and killing whales for their oil, meat, or whalebone.” Japanese whaling dates back to the

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

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

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).

“Japan joined the International Whaling Commission in 1951; however, Japan would later be criticized by environmental organizations and anti-whaling nations for making heavy use of Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling which states that “Notwithstanding anything contained in this Convention any Contracting Government may grant to any of its nationals a special permit authorizing that national to kill, take and treat whales for purposes of scientific research subject to such restrictions as to number and subject to such other conditions as the Contracting Government thinks fit, and the killing, taking, and treating of whales in accordance with the provisions of this Article shall be exempt from the operation of this Convention.”