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Joerg Sarbach/AP
A boat tows a dead sperm whale.
A boat tows a dead sperm whale.
Save the Whales—by Hunting Them
July 03, 2008 3:02 PM
Some conservationists say ending a halfheartedly obeyed, 22-year-old whaling ban will allow for tighter controls and monitoring that could save species from extinction.
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Despite the conciliatory approach of some conservationists, the 59th meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Santiago, Chile, ended in a stalemate.
Prior to the meeting, conservationists like Susan Lieberman, director of the World Wildlife Fund, believed that ending a 1986 ban on whale hunting in favor of better monitoring was a possibility. “I think countries have an obligation to see if they can bridge the gap here,” Lieberman said.
Aboriginals in Greenland, Russia and Alaska are exempt from the 1986 global moratorium on whale hunting for subsistence farming; some countries, such as Iceland and Norway, have ignored the ban. Japan, somewhat dubiously, claims that its hunts are intended for research, and hence has allowed itself a quota of 1,000 whales per year.
According to a BBC article, the Japanese rebelled when the United States and United Kingdom had them shoulder the blame for the extinction of some whales. At the time, both countries had caught more whales than Japan.
But the lines of debate among activists aren’t determined by nationality. According to a Japanese poll, 56 percent of Japanese, mostly men, support whaling for research purposes. Japanese women in their twenties, however, are its greatest opponents.
Greenpeace, meanwhile, opposes the idea of lifting the ban. On June 30, Greenpeace volunteers in Australia left 10,000 origami whales at the Japanese consulate, representing five times as many signatures on antiwhaling petitions.
Prior to the meeting, conservationists like Susan Lieberman, director of the World Wildlife Fund, believed that ending a 1986 ban on whale hunting in favor of better monitoring was a possibility. “I think countries have an obligation to see if they can bridge the gap here,” Lieberman said.
Aboriginals in Greenland, Russia and Alaska are exempt from the 1986 global moratorium on whale hunting for subsistence farming; some countries, such as Iceland and Norway, have ignored the ban. Japan, somewhat dubiously, claims that its hunts are intended for research, and hence has allowed itself a quota of 1,000 whales per year.
According to a BBC article, the Japanese rebelled when the United States and United Kingdom had them shoulder the blame for the extinction of some whales. At the time, both countries had caught more whales than Japan.
But the lines of debate among activists aren’t determined by nationality. According to a Japanese poll, 56 percent of Japanese, mostly men, support whaling for research purposes. Japanese women in their twenties, however, are its greatest opponents.
Greenpeace, meanwhile, opposes the idea of lifting the ban. On June 30, Greenpeace volunteers in Australia left 10,000 origami whales at the Japanese consulate, representing five times as many signatures on antiwhaling petitions.
Headline Link: International Whaling Commission ends in a stalemate
According to The Star Phoenix, a Canadian daily, “Whales emerged the big losers” at the end of the 59th annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission. The issue of whale hunting was so powerfully divisive that Bill Hogarth, chair of the IWC, opted to create a “working group” to reach a compromise in the coming year, rather than tempt further discord at the meeting.
Source: Star Phoenix (Canada)
Susan Lieberman, director of the World Wildlife Fund, believes ending the failed 1986 moratorium in favor of better monitoring might minimize “unregulated killing.” Andrew Reed, a marine conservation biologist, also supports ending the moratorium. Reed said, “It would resume our science-based methods for determining how many whales can be safely harvested from a particular population.
Source: National Geographic
Background: A brief history of Japan versus conservationists: “Did Greens Kill the Whales?”
BBC journalist Richard Black examined Japan’s long-standing feud over whaling rights, which he illustrates is mired in historical and commercial tensions. Environmentalists may have behaved too aggressively and a compromise was breached after the U.S. cut off Japanese access to America’s fishing waters.
Source: The BBC
Opinion & Analysis: Who supports whaling?
Dr. Milton Freeman explains, “I’m an anthropologist and an ecologist, so I'm interested in conservation. But I’m also interested in human rights and social justice issues. The anti-whaling movement victimizes people whose livelihood and culture depend on it. For centuries they’ve got their sustenance out of the sea, and their culture is built around that—it means a lot to them.”
Source: Express News: University of Alberta (Canada)
Japanese artist Koji Yamamura produced “Man & Whale,” an animated short to raise children’s awareness about saving whales. The story follows a headmaster who teaches his students how the whales saved the Japanese from starving during WWII. The headmaster tells his students it’s time to return the favor.
Source: WhaleLove.org
According to a Japanese daily, The Asahi Shimbun, “In a poll, 56 percent of Japanese, mainly men, said they support eating whale meat, while 26 percent are opposed.” The report added, “Around 65 percent [of men] favor the continuation of Japan’s research whaling operations, despite growing international criticism.” Also worth noting, the demographic most opposed to whale hunting was young women in their twenties.
Source: Asahi Shimbun
Related Topic: Australian environmentalists protest Japanese whaling practices
Activists in Australia petitioned the Japanese embassy leaving 10,000 origami whales with the 50,000 signatures of petitioners at the embassy office. The protests also highlighted the arrest of two Greenpeace volunteers arrested in Japan. According to Mr. Steve Shallhorn, Greenpeace Australia CEO, the two volunteers were “exposing large-scale corruption.”
Source: The West Australian
© 2008 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
