3 Whaling Flashcards
What are the arguments for whaling?
Of over 80 species only a few are threatened
Products - meal, oil, bones
Scientific research to help understand ocean ecology
Culling can be used to control consumption of fish
Long standing traditions of indigenous subsistence hunting
Can whaling be sustainable?
1992 the IWC found that an annual catch of 2000-400 Minke whales for the next 100 years wouldn’t adversely affect the stock
How much fish do whales eat and how much do humans harvest?
280-500 million tonnes/year
90 million tonnes/year
What are the arguments against whaling?
Some species are dangerously threatened, need to let populations recover
Whales are intelligent and methods of hunting cause them suffering- do they have rights?
Scientific whaling has contributed little/nothing to the information needed for effective ocean management
Impact of whaling on blue whales species?
Decreased from 200,000 to just a few 100 due to excessive unregulated hunted by nations including UK in the early 1900s, this was banned 40 years ago but population has not recovered and remains at 1260
What property rights have been established in Antarctica?
Southern Ocean Sanctuary established in 1994 by IWC
How successful has it been?
Somewhat. Hasn’t stopped Japan whaling for ‘scientific purposes’
What are the purposes of whaling?
Research, small scale commerce and aboriginal subsistence
What scientific research can we gather?
Population, age, structure, growth rates, age of maturity and reproductive rates
Which nations are allowed to hunt due to aboriginal traditions?
US (Alaska) Russia, Denmark, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Who are Sea Shepherd?
Environmental conservation group with previous success are stopping Japan whaling in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary (once stopping them getting 10% of their quota)
Why are they not having so much success now?
Japanese whaling boats are fitted with military level equipment which makes them high elusive and almost impossible to track
Japanese government have also made it an act of terrorism to approach within 500m of a whaling boat
How much success did they have over the last decade?
Saved 6,000 whales
What is the animal welfare issue with whaling?
Inalienable rights and moralisms
Animals have inherent rights
Many cultures believe that Whales are intelligent and special
Why is the southern ocean environmentally significant?
Largest region of high nutrient, low chlorophyll production - but low availability of iron means plankton cannot take in as much Co2
