Whaling: A Historical Perspective and Current Debates

INTRODUCTION

Whaling is the hunting of whales. It is mainly done for meat, blubber and whale oil. The earliest forms of whaling date to at least 3000 BC. Industrial whaling emerged in the 17th century. By the late 1930s, more than 50,000 whales were killed annually. In 1986, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) banned commercial whaling in order to increase the number of whales. Contemporary whaling is subject to intense debate. Pro-whaling countries wish to lift the ban on certain whale stocks for hunting. Anti-whaling countries and environmental groups oppose lifting the ban. While the debate still goes on whether or not whaling should be illegal, many environmentalists say that unless it is stopped, whales could go extinct in the

Ironically, the usage of whale products has somewhat reversed from the early days, with meat being the primary product of sale, and blubber being rendered down mostly to cheap industrial products such as animal feed or, in Iceland, as a fuel supplement for whaling ships. The primary species hunted are the common minke whale and Antarctic minke whale, two of the smallest species of baleen whales. International cooperation on whaling regulation began in 1931 and culminated in the signing of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) in 1946. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up under the ICRW to decide hunting quotas and other relevant matters based on the findings of its Scientific Committee. Non-member countries are not bound by its regulations and conduct their own management

Between them, these countries kill around 2,000 whales a year mainly fin, minke, Bryde’s, sei, humpback and sperm whales. But critics say Japan is the only nation that labels its commercial hunt as “research ”.

FAROE ISLANDS WHALING

Around 950 long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melaena) are caught each year on the Faroe Islands. Other species are not hunted, though occasionally Atlantic white-sided dolphin can be found among the pilot whales. The hunt is known as the Grindadráp. Faroese whaling is regulated by Faroese authorities but not by the IWC, which does not regulate the catching of small cetaceans.

Most Faroese consider the hunt an important part of their culture and history and arguments about the topic raise strong emotions. Animal-rights groups criticize the hunt as being cruel and unnecessary and economically insignificant. Hunters claim that most journalists lack knowledge of the catch methods used to capture and kill the whales. Despite criticism from animal rights groups and the IWC, the whale hunting custom continues to kill thousands of whales year after year. The American Cetacean Society says that pilot whales are not considered to be endangered, but that there has been a noticeable decrease in their numbers around the Faroe