For many years, the whaling industry was an extremely commercially profitable business that many nations took part in. Whaling fleets from around Europe and North America set sail to capture the whales as people thought they were an excellent source of oil, whalebone – for corsets, skin, meat, blubber and ambergris for perfume in the 18th, 19th and 20th century. Whaling became so successfully profitable that many species during this period were almost hunted to extinction. As technology advanced, we as humans, found other reliable resources such as gasoline and modern farming. However the Japanese kept hunting these gentle giants purely because of centuries of tradition. The interest of whaling increased particularly in Australia and New Zealand
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Countries such as Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroes and Japan are pro-whaling nations. From their perspective whaling is part of their indigenous culture and traditional diet. Whaling in these countries hold thousands of years of tradition with techniques of whaling being passed down from generation to generation. An example of this tradition is the Inuapu people which believe the whale offers its life to them as a gift and feel they have a spiritual connection with the whale. Many countries practice this culture which resulted in The International Whaling Commission (IWC) granting countries to hunt under indigenous hunting provisions in greenway. However, because of such frequent hunting it led to these gentle giants being almost extinct. In March 31st 2014, the International Court of Justice issued a ruling that whales can now only be hunted for scientific research which will determine if …show more content…
Its purpose is to provide the proper conservation of whale stocks and make the whaling industry possible. Over the years the IWC has imposed quotas of the number of whales could be caught or hunted according to the species sustainability and also established two whale sanctuaries. One in the Indian Ocean 1979, the other in the Southern Ocean, 1994. These sanctuaries were made because of the mass hunting by other nations and to protect breeding grounds and calves. In 1982 the IWC decided that there should be a pause in 1985/1986 season for commercial whaling. As stated earlier this moratorium is still in force and bans commercial whaling even though some nations chose to object or take advantage of the wording of the ban. The procedures for decision-making in the IWC is calculated by a number of votes and will need 75% of the votes to want the ban on commercial whaling to be overturned. These meetings are held every two years. As stated earlier, Japan had been bribing the votes, thus explaining why the Chairman of the IWC, William Hogarth, raised the issue of revoking the moratorium. There has been disagreements with countries on how to mutually agree with objectives that unfortunately led to escalated tension between nations. Like any other international organisation the IWC has limited powers of enforcements of its directives
Countries such as Norway, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroes and Japan are pro-whaling nations. From their perspective whaling is part of their indigenous culture and traditional diet. Whaling in these countries hold thousands of years of tradition with techniques of whaling being passed down from generation to generation. An example of this tradition is the Inuapu people which believe the whale offers its life to them as a gift and feel they have a spiritual connection with the whale. Many countries practice this culture which resulted in The International Whaling Commission (IWC) granting countries to hunt under indigenous hunting provisions in greenway. However, because of such frequent hunting it led to these gentle giants being almost extinct. In March 31st 2014, the International Court of Justice issued a ruling that whales can now only be hunted for scientific research which will determine if …show more content…
Its purpose is to provide the proper conservation of whale stocks and make the whaling industry possible. Over the years the IWC has imposed quotas of the number of whales could be caught or hunted according to the species sustainability and also established two whale sanctuaries. One in the Indian Ocean 1979, the other in the Southern Ocean, 1994. These sanctuaries were made because of the mass hunting by other nations and to protect breeding grounds and calves. In 1982 the IWC decided that there should be a pause in 1985/1986 season for commercial whaling. As stated earlier this moratorium is still in force and bans commercial whaling even though some nations chose to object or take advantage of the wording of the ban. The procedures for decision-making in the IWC is calculated by a number of votes and will need 75% of the votes to want the ban on commercial whaling to be overturned. These meetings are held every two years. As stated earlier, Japan had been bribing the votes, thus explaining why the Chairman of the IWC, William Hogarth, raised the issue of revoking the moratorium. There has been disagreements with countries on how to mutually agree with objectives that unfortunately led to escalated tension between nations. Like any other international organisation the IWC has limited powers of enforcements of its directives