Whaling In East Asia Essay

The rapid spread of mercury poisoning and the increase of whaling in Eastern Asia have a very evident positive correlation. Although the whaling of large whales has seen quite a dramatic drop since the boom in the 1950’s and early 1960’s right before the Marine Mammal Protection Act was enacted in 1972, there has been a significant increase in the amount of dolphins and small whales being killed and sold in Eastern Asian Countries. One sample of Dolphin meat can contain up to 10 times the regulated amount of mercury which is 0.4 ppm. Due to the continuous distribution of small whale meats in Eastern Asia, people are suffering from many drawbacks, and studies have shown it may be linked to the decline in Japan’s birthrate in recent years. Although whaling has been a part of Asian culture for thousands of years, the policies put into place for larger whales, has caused an increase in dolphin harvesting,
Small whales and dolphins contain very high levels of toxic heavy metals, such as mercury, and organochlorines like PCBs, dioxins and benzenes. …show more content…
Mercury enters the ocean from a variety of sources, and as organisms absorb mercury in the ocean, it gets more and more concentrated the higher up the food chain one examines. (Burns) Because of the hunting and distribution of these meats in Eastern Asia, staggering amounts of mercury is found in the general population, the worst area of them is mainly in the town Taiji. “Specifically, the tests of 1,137 Taiji residents last year revealed that average MeHg (mercury) levels were 11.00 parts per million (ppm) for men and 6.63 ppm for women — compared with an average of 2.47 ppm for men and 1,64 ppm for women at 14 other locations in Japan.” (Burns) Although whaling has only become a concern to the general population in recent years, it has been a part of Japanese culture for many