Hello there! In this week’s post the theme is not about anti-whaling activists specifically, I will be talking about one of the problems they have nowadays with whaling. Even though the International Whaling Commission has established some regulations to preserve the cetacean species, it is rumored and criticized that Japan commercial fishers have gone undercover to the Antarctic and Pacific oceans to hunt whales. The reason they are allowed to do this is because whaling is legal if fishers do it for research and scientific investigation. These people claim that it is only for scientific purposes but anti-whaling activists have discovered that these fishers still sell the whales’ meat. I think it is unnecessary to kill whales even if it is only for research and investigation and we cannot blame fishers for selling whales’ meat because once these animals are dead, what can they do with them? If the International Whaling Commission is really trying to preserve whales, they should not allowed whaling for any kind of reason.
According to a Seattle News article, the Japanese fishers harvested “49 minke, 95 sei and 50 Bryde's whales and one sperm whale”. From all these species, the IUCN established that the Sei whales are endangered and the sperm whale is classified as vulnerable, so how the IWC allowed these fishermen to hunt 95 whales endangered? This is why the Whaling ships who hunt whales with supposed scientific purposes are so criticized; but as I said before I do not think it is only whaling fishermen fault, the IWC is responsible for this too. Fortunately, anti-whaling activists are working to stop whaling at all.
Bibliography
International Union for Conservation of Nature. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010. September 22nd 2011 <http://www.iucnredlist.org/amazing-species>.
International Union for Conservation of Nature. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2010. September 22nd 2011 <http://www.iucnredlist.org/amazing-species>.
The Associated Press. The Seattle News. September 15th 2011. September 22nd 2011 <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2016215067_apasjapanwhaling.html>.
World Society for the Protection of Animals. Whalewatch. 2007. Septemeber 22nd 2011 <http://www.whalewatch.org/>.
Hi Susana!
ResponderEliminarI think this theme has always been in controversy because of the different opinions, some people agree with these activities, and some others think they are neither moral nor well-looking for our cultures. I agree with organizations that try to save animals and to ban whaling activities.
I found your blog very interesting, keep it up.