Whale Hunting Should Be Banned

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Where there is a line between trying to preserve your culture and heritage, and being on the same page with the modern moral values? It is hard to reply to this question because there is no right or wrong answer. One of the examples of this question is the situation on Faroe Islands. People of Faroe Islands have been hunting long pilot whales for centuries; it is part of their culture and part of their identity. Also, it is one of the food sources that they have. However the world is concerned with the custom on the islands. A big number of whales get killed every year by the locals. The act is so cruel that the sea water turns red from the spilled blood. Then the new questions appear: is the hunt still necessary, why the government of Denmark cannot provide a better lifestyle to its people, why such a cruelty still exists today. Based on the research, the whale hunting should be banned because it is dangerous to people’s health, it is outdated tradition, and it is a cruel act.

One of the main reasons why the whale hunting should be banned on Faroe Islands is due to the effects that the whale meat has on the health of the humans who regularly eat it. Many research projects showed that excessive consumption of sea food can decrease cognitive abilities due to the presence of methyl mercury, a toxic pollutant, in the marine food. The population of Faroe Island depends heavily on marine resources. “Today, a whale meat accounts for approximately 30% of total meat produced on the islands (Faroe Government 2004) and is a cultural component of the Faroe lifestyle.” Since the consumption of the whale meat is very popular on the islands it drew attention of many scientists who are aware of the problems that these custom can cause. “Based ...

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O'Barry, Helene Hesselager. "HEART of Darkness." Earth Island Journal (2013): 18-23. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2014. The author of this article traveled to Faroe Islands and investigated why the hunt of the pilot whales still occurs. The Health department of Faroe Islands issued that the whale meat is dangerous to people, especially females who want to have babies; it is contaminated with dangerously high levels of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as well as DDE, a breakdown product of the insecticide DDT. She found out that people hunt whales because of the taste, it is free food, and the hunt is representational to their culture. Faroese, also, like hunting whales because it is the tradition that existed on the islands for centuries. Many of the people on the islands do not care about the side effects of the pilot whale meat.

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