The Pros And Cons Of Whaling

The main problem which causes the most damage to the Blue whale’s population comes from whaling. Blue whales and other species of whales all weigh tons, meaning they can provide enormous amounts of meat, blubber, skin and other body parts with a single catch. It is believed that an average sized whale contains “152 tons of more or less edible material” and with some calculations, a single whale can provide “604,000 people [with a] single meal” (Nessen 1), and this excluding the other benefits such as blubber and skin which can be used in other applications. As a result, during the 1900s large amounts of whalers who were motivated by the whales great value to catch and slaughter more and more Blue whales (National 3). Due to such aggressive …show more content…
Whaling is banned internationally( National 3); however, due poorly written laws, poor enforcement, and different viewpoints, whalings still take place. In South Korea “commercial and subsistence whaling are both illegal;” however, “domestic sales of cetacean products such as skin, blubber and red meat are allowed if they are accidentally caught” (MacMillan Han, 1). It is being believed that “whales are being deliberately killed through drowning and other means, and disguised as by-catch” (MacMillan Han, 1). As a result of “weak scientific data” and “cetaceans providing significant income to hard-pressed Korean fishermen,” the government is “ambivalent on the issue” (MacMillan Han, 1). After further research and interviews, it is becoming clear that it is not the main intent to catch and kill endangered whales just for the fun, but because of the terrible economic situation they are living in, by “landing a Minke” they would have “potential of significant additional income,” and as a fisherman explained, “Who would not like winning lotto when life is this tough?” (MacMillan Han, 1). As a result, this issue is not as simple, and the solutions will be discussed …show more content…
This happens because whales need to come to the surface to breath through the atmosphere. Researchers have found that “On the West Coast, strikes of blue, humpback and fin whales are major causes of death for those species, especially the endangered fin and blue whales” (Jahncke et al. 1). Moreover, “Blue and fin whales migrate seasonally along the West Coast of the U.S., where they overlap with significant shipping activity” and “important feeding hotspots for blue and humpback whales occur in waters near the ports of Long Beach/Los Angeles and Oakland where they intersect with vessel traffic lanes” (Jahncke et al. 2). This just illustrates how likely the chances of whale-to-ship can occur and solutions for this will be discussed