The practice of hunting whales and harvesting the beached whales dates back to at least 3000 B.C. Industrial Whaling dates back to the 17th century, The Dutch and the English maintained large whaling fleets. Whalers began hunting further away from home as whale numbers fell. By the 19th century America was the leader of the whaling industry. Part of the modernization of the whaling industry was the invention of the factory ship. These were enormous self-sufficient ships that processed the whales. A blue whale, the largest creature on earth, could be flensed, butchered, and pressure-cooked to produce oils and various whale products in about 45 minutes aboard a factory ship. Thanks to the production of synthetic products and byproducts of
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Whaling is cultural activity in Norway and Japan. These countries have stablished fishing industries that hunt whales for centuries. These countries have communities relying completely on the whaling industry. A ban on whaling in totality would place many citizens in poverty and undue hardship. The economies of the small fishing towns would decline quickly creating a need for sustainable jobs and new markets. The loss of the main industry would devastate the fishing communities. Since these countries have practiced the hunting of whales for hundreds of years, I believe it is an impedance on their cultural traditions. By not allowing them to continue this practice, the ban is a violation to their sovereignty. There are preceding cases as well, which can be used to determine the law and any contestation of it. Perhaps like the case in 1994; it came to light that the Soviet Union was intentionally misrepresenting the number of whales caught. For example, between 1948 to 1973, the Soviet Union caught 48,477 humpback whales but only reported 2,710. According to Ray Gambell, then Secretary of the IWC, the organization had raised its suspicions with the former Soviet Union, but it did not take further action because it could not interfere with national sovereignty
Whaling is cultural activity in Norway and Japan. These countries have stablished fishing industries that hunt whales for centuries. These countries have communities relying completely on the whaling industry. A ban on whaling in totality would place many citizens in poverty and undue hardship. The economies of the small fishing towns would decline quickly creating a need for sustainable jobs and new markets. The loss of the main industry would devastate the fishing communities. Since these countries have practiced the hunting of whales for hundreds of years, I believe it is an impedance on their cultural traditions. By not allowing them to continue this practice, the ban is a violation to their sovereignty. There are preceding cases as well, which can be used to determine the law and any contestation of it. Perhaps like the case in 1994; it came to light that the Soviet Union was intentionally misrepresenting the number of whales caught. For example, between 1948 to 1973, the Soviet Union caught 48,477 humpback whales but only reported 2,710. According to Ray Gambell, then Secretary of the IWC, the organization had raised its suspicions with the former Soviet Union, but it did not take further action because it could not interfere with national sovereignty