Samantha Costelloe

Anti - whaling

Commercial Whaling during the last century has decimated most of the worlds whale populations. Estimates suggest that between 1925, when the first whaling factory ship was introduced, and 1975, more than 1.5 million whales were killed. In 1946, the international whaling commission (IWC) was established. Accused of not being effective in its fight to protect whales, the commission banned whaling in 1986.Whaling nations that do not support this ban include Japan, Norway, Iceland and Greenland.

New members of the IWC have caused controversy. Anti whaling groups have accused Japan of encouraging LEDC’s to become members of the IWC in return for foreign aid. Environmental groups argue that new members feel obliged to vote in favour of Japan when decisions are being made. In order to make changes 73% of the members have to vote in favour of the proposed change. The more allies Japan and other whaling nations have in the IWC, the harder it is for the anti whaling movement.

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Whaling nations such as Norway and Japan state that it is vital to learn more about whales and that they therefore need to catch whales for study. They are accused of using this as an excuse. Many conservation groups argue that research can be carried out without harming the animals.

Since 1987, Japan has conducted an annual whale hunt in the Antarctic under the guise of scientific whaling. This is in reality a commercial enterprise: The whale meat and blubber that comes from Japan’s whale “research” is sold commercially in Japan at the value of 4 billion yen every ...

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