The Benefits Of Whaling

I do not agree with the position, held by Norway and Japan, to continue to commercially hunt whales commercially. Personally I find the practice to be unnecessarily damaging to the eco system much like the poaching of exotic land animals. This appears to be a custom driven by factors other than necessity. If the hunting of whales were to be driven by market demand for meat it would be understandable to continue the practice. However, this is not the case in Japan. During a briefing with Rupert Wingfield-Hayes, of BBC News, a high-ranking member of the Japanese government is quoted as saying
“…Antarctic whaling is not a part of Japanese culture. It is terrible for our international image and there is no commercial demand for the meat….” (Wingfield-Hayes, 2016)
The demand Norway seems to echo a similar sentiment.
”There is little demand for whale meat in Norway, and consumption fell in 2000 to about half a pound of meat per person per year, according to Whale and Dolphin Conservation.”(R. Bale, T. Laman, 2016)

Whaling in Japan and Norway initially stemmed from whales being a natural food resource. “From the late 1940s to the mid-1960s whale meat was the single biggest source of meat in Japan.” (Wingfield-Hayes,

These three representatives should be able to accurately defend why cultural activity, that may not be a view shared globally, should not be interfered with.

The decision of this international panel should take into account both macro and micro impacts. That is to say the impact on small fishing villages, in the case of whaling, should be factored in. The effects on the local and national economy are important dynamics to consider. The larger, global impact, should weigh more heavily. For example, if the whaling operations conducted in Japan and Norway threatened whale populations with extinction, actions should be taken to protect the