Danielle Renze
Philosophy 110
March 27, 2015
Whaling and Dolphin Hunting
Most people do not have knowledge of the illegal killing of dolphins and scores of whales occurring in many different countries. The killing of whales and dolphins by these fishermen is illegal and is seen as disturbing by most. The line between necessary fishing and the inhumane killing of an excessive amount of wildlife has not been clearly established. While laws introduced by the International Whaling Commission have been put into effect, many whales and dolphins have been killed since then by numerous countries using loopholes to do so. In this essay I will argue why whaling and dolphin hunting is wrong and why more restrictions should be put into place
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These animals were used for oil lamps, candles, to lubricate machinery, margarine, lipsticks, and other things in the past. The baleen these mammals was used for tennis rackets and corsets. The advancement of modern day technology had eliminated the need to use whales and dolphins for these purposes. In present day most whales and dolphins are killed for their meat, which is seen as a luxury to some populations. However, the market for cetacean meat is declining rapidly. The decline had led to large frozen stockpiles of whale and dolphin meat that becomes unused and therefore is a waste.
The last evidence to support my claim is that whaling and dolphin hunting has previously been banned and is actually illegal. In 1986 the International Whaling Commission imposed a moratorium on whaling for commercial purposes. Many countries have found loopholes or simply ignore this ban resulting in over 30,000 whales being killed since the ban was put into action. Japan states that they are killing whales for scientific research. Other loopholes include hunting for cultural reasons and Norway is permitted to hunt under an objection to the
When an intelligent animal accustomed to swimming in thousands of miles of open ocean is placed in an environment only twice its size, is separated from its species, and is forced to perform tricks, there are bound to be consequences. The captivity of these animals should be banned and National Reserves and whale tours should be used to educate the public while admiring these animals' true beauty. There are few experiences more meaningful than witnessing a killer whale enjoying the freedom of the open ocean.
In the past twenty years a large amount of bottlenose dolphin have been killed due to the tuna fishery. In the Eastern Pacific swim large schools of tuna, these shoals tend to be under herds of dolphins, for some unexplained reason. Because of this, fishermen can easily find schools of tuna. The tuna are being caught under purse seine nets, which encircles the shoals of tuna and then is pulled back on board the fishing vessel, catching both tuna and dolphin. Initially the mortality rate was 500,000 each year for dolphins alone. Although some efforts are made to encourage the dolphins to leave the net by backing down part of the net, which allows the dolphins to escape, there are still a large number of mortalities (Bryant). On the other hand, in the last few years there has been dramatic progress in stopping the fishing industries from using purse sine nets. It has been found that dolphins are in immediate danger of extinction if these fishing techniques don’t stop.
McCarthy, Michael. "Should We Be Keeping Animals Such As Killer Whales in Captivity?." The Independent (London, England). 26 Feb. 2010: 50. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 04 Feb. 2014.
In Japan, although the government appears to operate under international law, it is often found to use the "scientific research" loophole. This includes whaling in Antarctica. There are also government subsidies in place to promote this "scientific research". I understand a little about subsidies, in America we have subsidies on milk so prices are kept low enough for people with low incomes to buy milk. I am starting to see why the anti-whale people are a bit put out by Japan. If this is so important to their culture, why does this industry need subsidies to survive?
The Makah’s seemingly domestic issue of whaling has and is taking on a larger international problem. The United States plays a large part in policing the hunting of whales, one of the most recent examples being the U.S.’s ...
In conclusion, education, research and conservation is a very important role that we can make to improve the lives of Orca whales, but at what cost? When you have to take an animal out of its natural habitat and deprive it of all its natural instincts, cause unnecessary emotional and physical problems, and put the lives of the whales and their trainers at risk, what are we learning? That it’s okay to possess them merely for our entertainment and profit? A wild animal’s life remains destroyed and many lives have ended, all for dangerous entertainment.
How would you feel if your mother was murdered directly in front of you and you were only a few weeks old and you did not know how to fend for yourself? That's what these poacher are doing of these whales. They look for mother with fairly new calves because it means they have more fat on them. The more fat the more oil they produce which makes for more money. In Greenland they kill at most ten whales a year. While in Japan they kill five hundred and thirty to seven hundred
Looking at Figure C, we can say more than 200,000 blue whales has been killed as results of overhunting. In 1966, the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling for blue whales, but illegal hunting still occurs (NOAA). While blue whales are no longer being threatened by overhunting, their population is drastically depleted. Like many other marine species, blue whales are being harm by many others factors today. This include collisions of ships, chemical pollution such as oil spills, and noise pollution from vessels (Eco). The population of blue whales is known to be around “10,000 to 25,000 ” (World Wild Life).
The latest animal rights issue to hit the public is a whale of a controversy. For decades, the public has enjoyed visiting SeaWorld and taking in mesmerizing displays of aquatic performance by orcas, the largest species of dolphins, and their trainers. Recent events have stirred up a media uproar over the safety of these creatures and their trainers. Much of what the public knows about the maltreatment of these creatures comes from a documentary released in 2013 called “Blackfish”. The breeding and captivity of killer whales for entertainment purposes poses a threat not only to the whales, but also the trainers who interact with them.
Orca whales do not like to be taken from their family, held captive for many decades and put with other whales that they do not know. No other living organism on this planet would like to be put through the same thing. Orca whales are highly social animals, they are very intelligent, and are very emotional. If they are kept away from other whales, fed intermittently and received little attention from staff makes them get very emotional and can lead to death of people and the whales. Orca whales should not be held captive; they are beautiful creatures that are not great for people’s amusement and if they are treated poorly, they will act poorly.
I agree with the Norwegian and Japanese positions on permitting the hunting of non-endangered species of whales as a cultural exemption. Both of these cultures have been whaling for thousands of years. One stipulation that I would add in order to qualify for a cultural exemption is that the hunting should take place in a historically accurate manner. For the Japanese, this would mean using nets to catch the whales.
Some countries (for example Canada) allow the clubbing of seals to be taken place every year, for entertainment and their fur. And what about the elephants, did we really have to wait until they were nearly extinct before abolishing the ivory trade, just a few years ago?
Commercial whaling has essentially seized on the clear claims of such, but Japan and other nations are ever so slightly getting closer to that boundary. “We should remember in our dealings with animals that they are a sacred trust to us.
In the early history of whaling (before 1900), whaling efforts were focused on Right, Bowhead, and Atlantic Gray Whales. The Right and Bowhead Whales became severely endangered during that time period, while the Atlantic Gray Whale even became extinct (“Whales and Whaling” 1948). As stated above, when the grenade-tipped harpoon was invented in 1900, the whaling game was changed. Whalers could now hunt bigger and better whales, such as the hulking Blue Whale. The year 1900 was also really the turning point in whaling history.
For almost 400 years, whales have been chased to near extinction. Vessels have travelled the globe to find and extract precious oil and gather whale meat to eat. This has resulted in over 10,000 whales being executed since the moratorium in 1986. A moratorium is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law and in this case a suspension of whaling. Also a ...