By John Chao
The practice of whaling among different ethnic groups dates back at least 5000 years, especially on islands and in coastal areas, where marine animals were a major source of food. However, due to the cruelty of the practice and the development of factory farming, most countries in the world no longer rely on whale meat as a source of nutrition and have quit whaling. A few, however, including Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Japan, still maintain the practice to this day. Norway has been practicing whaling since 1993 and has increased its whaling industry in recent years. In December 2009, Norway announced a 45% escalation in its whaling quota. In April 2010, the quota for minke whales reached 1,286 per year. Despite the increase, there is a surplus of whale meat in the Norwegian whale market, a fact leading some to think that a political reason may lie behind the policy. Others believe that Norway is attempting to usurp Japan as the top whaler. “The unilateral decision by the Norwegian government to allow the greatest game in 25 years defies all logic… The market for products derived from whale meat simply does not exist,” says Clair Bass of the World Society for Protection of Animals (WSPA). Denmark, and more specifically Greenland, who engaged in humpback whaling in the past, wishes to do it once again off the coast of Greenland. In 2009, on behalf of Greenland, Denmark submitted a proposal to the International Whaling Commission (IWC), aiming at permission to slaughter ten humpback whales each year for five consecutive years, 50 in total. This act drew much attention from countries worldwide, as the hunting of humpback whales, an endangered species, was banned in 1963 and has not been done off the coast of Greenland since 1986, when the IWC intervened. The reasons Denmark provided for the proposal included difficulties in nutrition and meeting the cultural needs of its aboriginal groups. 2009 was the third consecutive year that the country tried to include humpback whales in their catch. Iceland, in spite of its reputation for renewable energy, also practices whaling and has been enlarging its industry. In 2009, former fisheries minister Einar K. Gudfinsson announced a massive increase in whaling quotas, 100 minke whales and 150 fin whales per year for at least five years. Sigfusson, the new minister, did not reverse the decision, but actually increased the the quotas further, 200 minke whales and 200 fin whales for 2009. This raising of whaling quotas was unusual as the quota for minke whales had almost doubled; as for fin whales, there were only seven caught in the three years prior to the policy change. Observers said that much of the fin whale meat is sent to Japan, despite the fact that fin whales, like humpback whales, are on the list of endangered species. Besides Norway, Iceland, and Denmark, Japan, which receives fin whales from Iceland, is known as the number one whaling country in the world. Despite voices against whaling from around the world, including those of the U.S., the U.K., the European Union, and animal rights advocates, Japan has been practicing whale hunting the most consistently. The 1986 International Whaling Commission ban against commercial whaling failed to restrict Japanese hunters because they claim to be doing it for scientific research. Yet after Japanese scientists collect data on the dead whales’ age, diet, and birthrate, the whale meat is then packed, processed, and sold in Japan, leading many to doubt if there’s any truth in Japan’s high-toned claim. “I haven’t met one person, pro-whalers or not, outside of the Fisheries Agency payroll who believe that these researches are useful,”says Steve Shallhorn, CEO of Greenpeace Australia Pacific, accusing Japan of using worthless scientific research as a veil. Facing severe attacks worldwide, Japan has defended itself by adding that Japan has a deep-rooted cultural reliance on whale hunting, becoming extremely important during World War II. Similar to Norway, however, Japan’s consumption of whale meat has become very low. As a result of much greater supply than demand, excess whale meat is piled up infreezers while local governments are encouraging schools to include whale meat in lunch programs. Whaling is considered severely inhumane by animal rights activists and organizations such as the WSPA. Some activists argue that humankind has a responsibility to adjust its lifestyle to minimize the overall pain suffered by all living beings. Other animal rights advocates have confirmed that from a biological and physiological point of view, whales and other undersea animals are warm-blooded mammals, not fish, and that they have a central nerve system very similar to that of human beings. These mammals feel the same pain that humans do. According to Dr. Andrew Chang Young Fei, a professor at National Taiwan University School of Veterinary Medicine, although it is possible to slaughter chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals in a completely humane way, with whales any sort of functional euthanasia is impossible, not only because they are underwater but because they are so huge in size. In June 2010, Japan, Norway, Iceland, and Greenland succeeded in taking a huge step forward in the long battle over whaling rights and set a new milestone in the history of whaling. After a drastic five-day meeting where the pro-whaling and the anti-whaling countries and groups suffered a hard time negotiating, a temporary compromise was finally reached. Despite vigorous objections from the more conservative members of the IWC, the committee eventually agreed to allow a one-year suspension of the commercial whaling ban in return for a promise by Japan, Norway, and Iceland that the number of whales they used to hunt in the past in defiance of the ban would be reduced in the future. In addition to this decision, Greenland was also granted the right to slaughter whales, including minke whales, fin whales, and humpback whales, for food and cultural maintenance on condition that the practice is done under strict whaling quotas, which will be reviewed every five years. The war over whaling may continue for decades, even though the overall demand for whale meat is constantly dropping. There’s no crystal ball foretelling the future of whales, and yet as long as there are whalers setting out to sea, there will certainly be cruelty and suffering in the vast, peaceful ocean.
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May 2024
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