Whaling: Humpback Whale and Whales
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 to lift the ban that is currently protecting the numbers of whales (Clark, 2010).
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) established in 1946, its purpose was to help mandate conservation efforts by reducing the hunting of whales. In 1986 the IWC implemented a ban on whaling. Three countries Japan, Norway, and Iceland have found and used loopholes in the ban to enable them to continue to hunt whales legally. Simply by objecting to the moratorium ban on whaling Iceland and Norway, continue to hunt whales. Japan has used the loophole in the ban to claim they are hunting whales for scientific purposes.
Table one below shows how many whales each of the three countries have each killed with the ban in effect because of these various loopholes.
Table 1
This table shows the documented whale kills of 2008-2009 for Japan, Norway, and Iceland.
Iceland 38
Norway 539
Japan 1004
Note. From the Swedish Wire Copyright 2010.
It is important to note that the ban on whaling is in effect other areas such as Russia, and Alaska are also able to hunt whales. The people of these countries receive permits from the IWC because they are indigenous, meaning they rely on the hunting of whales for cultural, and sustainable, reasons only.
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) established in 1946, its purpose was to help mandate conservation efforts by reducing the hunting of whales. In 1986 the IWC implemented a ban on whaling. Three countries Japan, Norway, and Iceland have found and used loopholes in the ban to enable them to continue to hunt whales legally. Simply by objecting to the moratorium ban on whaling Iceland and Norway, continue to hunt whales. Japan has used the loophole in the ban to claim they are hunting whales for scientific purposes.
Table one below shows how many whales each of the three countries have each killed with the ban in effect because of these various loopholes.
Table 1
This table shows the documented whale kills of 2008-2009 for Japan, Norway, and Iceland.
Iceland 38
Norway 539
Japan 1004
Note. From the Swedish Wire Copyright 2010.
It is important to note that the ban on whaling is in effect other areas such as Russia, and Alaska are also able to hunt whales. The people of these countries receive permits from the IWC because they are indigenous, meaning they rely on the hunting of whales for cultural, and sustainable, reasons only.
References: AFP/The Swedish Wire. (2010). The Swedish Wire. Museum of Natural History in Paris. Retrieved from http://www.swedishwire.com/nordic/5051-whale-hunting-facts-and-figures Animal Corner Barthelmess, K. (1994). WHALING - CON & PRO . International Whaling Commission. Retrieved from http://luna.pos.to/whale/gen_con_pro_whaling.html Broder, John M Clark, S. (2010). FoxNews.com. FOX News Network, LLC.. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/06/05/obama-backing-deal-lift-global-ban-commercial-whaling/ Ezell, Hank Atlanta Journal-Constitution [Atlanta, GA] 17 Oct. 2004: D5. General OneFile. Web. 13 Sept. 2010 Fridjonsson, T Greenpeace International. (2010). Greenpeace. Retrieved from http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/whaling/ Handwerk, B Hrynyshyn, James. “No way to save the whales.” New Scientist 191.2558 (2006): 24. Academic OneFile. Web. 13 Sept. 2010. Sohn, E. (2010). Whale Watch. Society for Science & the Public. Retrieved from http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20050323/Feature1.asp