Owens1

Stacy Owens Rebecca Miner English 1010 04/12/2014 Should Commercial Whaling Be Banned? The debate on commercial whaling is ongoing since there are so many different perspectives to why a person would fish for whales. Some countries rely on whale meat as a staple to their diet; while others fish for the monetary gain; while others fish for scientific knowledge. Regulating whaling internationally has been a debate for many years leading to the creation of The International Whaling Commission (ICW). The International Whaling Commission was founded in 1946 by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (Jordan). The ICW sought to keep whales in a healthy range and off the endangered animal list, caused by over fishing. The ICW consists of different countries including: The United States, Australia, Norway and Canada (Jordan). The ICW sets a quota annually that specifies what countries can fish, how many whales each country can take and where they are allowed to fish. This is always a major topic of the debate during the meetings of the ICW since a country can opt out if they do not like the quota or fishing location. In order for the new quota to be set at the annual meeting at least thirteen countries have to agree to the mandate.

Owens2

There are Countries that can opt out for scientific reasons. Japan has a fleet of scientific vessels for the sole purpose of scientific whaling. Japan operates this scientific fleet under special permit in the Antarctic called JARPA (Anton). JARPA has a quota of 300 + 10% annually only for the Antarctic Minke whale. In an eighteen year period JARPA has killed over 6800 Minke whales in the Antarctic; while only 840 were taken globally in the same time period.

Scientific Perspective Scientists have proven that over fishing will lead to drastically reduced number of whales. This has already happened to the Humpback whale, the blue whale and the fin whale (Reeves, Smith). According to count logs that were kept at the fishery stations in the early 1900s the quota was not being enforced, the log books show generalizations rather than actual catch counts. Scientists show that over the fishing of whales changes the concentration of carbon dioxide in the ocean. The lower levels of carbon dioxide warm the ocean creating an environment where species such as coral decline. Whales produce a lot of carbon dioxide as dead waste; this is valuable to those species. Scientists show that whales are on the decline due to human interaction in the ocean. Shipping vessels as well as cruise ships have a big impact on whales (Pershing). Whales can also be harmed by collisions with shipping vessels rudders and gear. Scientists have proven that humans play a much bigger part in the population of whales other than just fishing. Whales migrate to give birth to their calves in warmer waters while cruise lines are taking tourists to these waters at the same time. Whales also communicate

Owens3

using echolocation, the cruise liners engines interfere with a whales communication within a whale pod.

Journalism Perspective Journalists take a stand on commercial whaling that will fully show the sources view on the topic without over shadowing the article with their own point of view. Facts from recent findings are reported along with any noteworthy news from the ICW or other outlets. Journalists would argue that commercial whaling is not the only reason for the decline in whale populations. Journalists print stories of entire whale pods beached for reasons we cannot explain, this could lead to the dramatic decline of whales to date. Journalists cover stories from scientists, activists and the general publics perception of the facts. For this reason some of the Journals or Articles will be highly entertaining. In the article written by Adrian Peace you have very graphic pictures to go along with the text. Peace wants to bring home the difficulties the IWC finds in controlling commercial whaling; in the name of science and Australias plight to spread light on the Japanese fishing vessels that Japan deemed scientific. In the article from Tim Ecott for the Spectator of London, Ecott highlights a recent documentary on the movie Black Fish, In which several former Sea World employees are interviewed about the whales kept in captivity and how they were captured. it could encourage

Owens4

the audience to look at the aspect of fishing for whales as food or keeping them for human entertainment.

Anti-Whaling Activists Perspective Anti-whaling activists are completely against whaling in general for any reason. The activists have great support of Green Peace and Australia. Activists strive to show fishing for whales is not the only way to sustain life. Australia has taken the stand on whaling in recent years to become the ambassadors to Save the Whales. The television series Whale Wars depicts Japanese scientific whaling vessels fishing for whales as the The Sea Shepard tries to thwart any attempt at catching a whale (Peace). Japan opted out of the IWC (International Whaling Committee) due to a lower catch quota; they established a scientific fleet of whaling vessels for scientific whaling (named JARPA). The IWC has a clause in their annual research report to include scientific whaling. Japan has been the main source of fury for anti-whaling activists, since their catch still ends up in meat markets and restaurants in Japan. Activists would argue that whaling for science should not end in the selling of whale meat for monetary gain. They are completely against whaling even on an aboriginal level, which the IWC stands behind. Anti-whaling activists would argue that aboriginal whaling has an impact on declining numbers of pilot whales. when in records

Owens5

you find that the population of pilot whales are sustainable. In fact they are the longest recorded whales starting in 1584 (Ecott). When aborigines, of the Faroe Islands, fish for pilot whale pods they can only see from shore. Aborigines do not have the funds or the interest in the new ways of fishing for whales, they continue with traditions passed from generation to generation as a rite of passage for young males (Ecott).

This debate will always be ongoing due to scientists strong belief that over fishing whales will dramatically reduce their population numbers, causing changes to the ocean. Journalists will always take a stand to fight for a better understanding of whales fight for survival. Anti-whaling activists will always be completely against whaling for any reason. The anti-whaling activists would welcome stiff punishments for whaling of any kind; although the IWC does seem to moving in this direction. The Japanese whaling vessels are still whaling under their scientific banner of JARPA with an increasing annual quota. The IWC continues to have meetings annually to provide whale fishing bans and quotas in different areas, although this only works when more than thirteen countries sign the agreement.

Owens6 Works Cited Anton, Donald K. ""Antartic Whaling: Australia's Attempt to Protect Whales In The Southern Oceans"." Boston College Enviromental Affairs Law Review 36.2 (2009): 319-351. Catalinac, Amy L. and Chan, Gerald. ""Japan, The West, And The Whaling Issue: Understanding The Japanese Side."." Japan Forum (2005): 133-163. Ecott, Tim. ". "Let Them Eat Whales."." The Spectator 1 February 2014. Holt, Sidney. ""Science, Politics, And Economics In The International Whaling Commission."." Aquatic Mammals 37.3 (2011): 421-430. Jordan, Tara. ""Revising The International Convention On The Regulation Of Whaling: Proposal To End The Stalemate Within The International Whaling Commision."." Wisconsin International Law Journal 29.4 (2012): 833-868. Peace, Adrian. " "The Whaling War: Conflicting Cultural Perspectives ." (n.d.). ""The Whaling War: Conflicting Cultural Perspectives."." Anthropology Today 26.3 (2010): 5-9. Pershing, Andrew. ""The Impact Of Whaling On The Ocean Carbon Cycle: Why Bigger Was Better."." Plos ONE (2010): 1-9. Reeves, Randall R. and Smith, Tim D. ""Commercial Whaling, Especially For Grey Whales, Eschrichtiuos Robustus, And Humpback Whales, Megaptera Novaeangliae, At California And Baja." Marine Fisheries Review 72.1 (2010): 1-25. Rieser, Alison. ""Whales, Whales And The Warming Oceans."." Boston College Enviromental Law Review 36.2 (2009): 401-429.