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On this page, we will answer some basic questions about whaling. | |
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A. No. In fact, the numbers of whales continue
to increase. In 1982, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) declared
a commercial whaling moratorium (a suspension of commercial whaling activity)
for all whale species under the management of IWC. IWC also decided on conditions
for conducting a Comprehensive Assessment of whale resources which was to
be completed before 1990. Based on this Comprehensive Assessment, the IWC
Scientific Committee agrees that there are at least 760,000 minke whales
in the Antarctic Ocean, and that more than 25,000 minke whales are in the
Sea of Okhotsk and the western North Pacific. At the 1992 IWC Annual Meeting,
the Commission accepted the Revised Management Procedure (RMP), which the
IWC Scientific Committee had developed over several years. This method of
management is a way to continue sustainable whaling-that is, to take only
the number of animals from a stock that will ensure the stock continues
in a healthy condition. It is a safe resource management method based on
the principle of leaving alone the principal of one's savings, using only
part of the interest income earned.
It's completely safe, therefore, based on the RMP, to take 200,000 Antarctic
minke whales over 100 years, or 2,000 whales per year. The IWC Scientific
Committee has calculated the catch quotas for minke whales in the Antarctic
Ocean and concluded that this take of 2,000 whales each year would not
have any negative impacts on the whale stock. Despite this scientific
finding, however, anti-whaling countries assert the need to adopt a Revised
Management Scheme (RMS) that additionally includes an excessively detailed
supervision and control system, and these nations continue to oppose the
resumption of whaling even after scientists have calculated conservative
catch limits. |
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Every country has its own particular diet and
relies on different types of food. For the Japanese, whale meat has served as an important source of protein. Traditional whaling nations, including Japan, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Arctic regions, have depended primarily on marine resources for their diets and have developed cultures which rely on these resources as their primary sources of protein. After Buddhism was introduced to Japan, the Japanese diet gradually became less centered on animal meats and more on fish and other marine resources. For the Japanese, whales were considered to be another type of fish. Japanese have utilized whales as an important source of protein since ancient times. It was during the Edo Period (which began in 1603) that whales began to be widely eaten, creating a unique culture centered on whale meat in areas where whaling was conducted. Japanese whale cuisine is unique in the world, for it utilizes every part of the whale-from the skin to the internal organs. A key characteristic of Japanese whale cuisine is the diverse ways in which it is prepared-as sashimi, grilled, boiled, fried, dried, and as soup. Return to the top of this page. |
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Whales consume as much as six times the volume
of fish that humans catch. Whales are eating a disproportionate amount of
our marine resources. Because whales are currently protected and may not
be harvested, their numbers are increasing, and they are eating larger and
larger amounts of fish, leaving many fewer fish for fishermen to take. This
is an important reason for the decline of many fisheries resources around
the world.
The ocean supports a food chain in which plankton are eaten by fish, which are then eaten by seals and whales. We have been learning that whales, which are at the top of the marine food chain, consume much greater volumes of fish and krill than we have previously been aware. How much marine resources are whales around the world consuming? If we
estimate the volume of foods eaten by one whale and then multiply that
by the estimated number of whales, we could then calculate the total amount
of food consumed by whales. The Institute of Cetacean Research, which
conducts research on whales in the Antarctic and western North Pacific,
has calculated this based on the estimated amount of food required to
sustain an average-weight whale multiplied by the number of whales in
the South Pacific, North Pacific, and western North Pacific. According
to these calculations, whales eat between 280 million to 500 million tons
in one year-this is about three to six times more than humans catch (90
million tons) in all of the world's oceans. |
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Yes. Whale meat is low in calories and high in
protein and polyunsaturated fatty acids, so it's very good for our health.
Whale meat contains more protein than beef, pork, and chicken, yet contains
lower levels of cholesterol, making it less likely to cause heart attacks
and other heart disease. Whale meat is also less likely to cause allergic
reactions compared to other meats and is considered an important source
of protein for those suffering from food allergies and undergoing food therapy. Return to the top of this page. |
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