Commercial Whaling Pros

The 19th century brought steam and diesel powered boats as well as an exploding harpoon gun to catch even more whales than in the past for oil and meat. Despite drastically low numbers, whaling continued in the 20th century until only 10 percent of blue whales were left. As a result, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was created in an effort to regulate whaling before it was too late. In 1966, the IWC banned the killing of blue whales and placed restrictions on others (Earle, 2009, p. 43). In the 20th century, Japan killed the second highest number of whales at 21 percent after Norway at 27 percent (Earle, 2009, p. 42). Unlike cows, herbivores that are killed after a few years, whales live for decades and are not replenished, leading

Under Article Eight, which allows whaling for scientific purposes, Japan has continued commercial whaling, specifically minke, fin, and humpback whales in the Southern Ocean. According to the loophole, the meat must be sold or given away, enabling Japan to sell whale meat and donate it to schools and hospitals. On March 31, 2014, the International Court of Justice ruled Japan’s whaling practice illegal because it was deemed unscientific. Japan claimed they were studying pregnancy rates and age of first reproduction and failed to validate their quotas. In reality, reproductive status can be learned with a small dart that extracts a small amount of skin and blubber. After hunting whales, Japan collects the organs and sells the rest (“Japan Halts Whaling” 2014). Unfortunately, Japan has decided to send a proposal to restart whaling under the guise of scientific purposes next year that will enable higher numbers of whales to be killed in larger bodies of water, outside of its exclusive economic zone (“Japan to Resume”

45). The residents of St. Lawrence Island, Alaska rely on the annual bowhead whale hunt, walrus hunt, and fishing for food. According to state estimates, rural Alaskans receive 185% of their daily recommended protein requirement from wild foods. Climate change is progressing faster in the Arctic, raising average temperatures and shrinking sea ice, providing the opportunity for oil and gas endeavors (Grossman