The whale is caught with an harpoon, thrown from the whaling ship. In the XIX century the main whale product was the blubber, but the whole animal was used. In modern times, the main product is it meat.
At the end of the XIX century whaling underwent a profound crisis because of the birth of the oil industry and because of the American civil war.
Today, whaling is forbidden in most of the world, but in many countries whale hunters keep hunting these cetaceans.
In 1946 the IWC (International Whaling Commission) was created to promote a coordinated development of the whaling industry and regulate it. At the beginning it encouraged the hunt and so, during the first 30 years of the IWC, 2 million whales were killed. In more recent times, it has started promoting the protection for the cetaceans, even though 39 member countries are still conducive to hunting.
In 1986 came into force the ban of whaling, but since then Japan, Norway, Iceland, Russia, Korea and local whale hunters from other countries went on with their activity, killing 21.760 whales.
In 1994, the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary was created. Notwithstanding this, Japan keeps killing minke whales there.
Norway and Japan are brazenly defying world opinion by going on with the hunt and even increasing it.
Japan is taking advantage of a loophole of the IWC, which allows the hunt in any number of specimens for the purpose of scientific research. So, Japan named its activity "scientific research". Obviously, no new knowledge has been gained.
Blue whale and fin whale are considered "endangered species" by WWF.
Whaling must be stopped. There is no justification for such a barbarity.
You can help things change by spreading the word and helping the organizations that deal with the protection of these wonderful creatures, like Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, WWF and IWPO.
Please, don't let it remain an unheeded cry.
What do you think about it? Send me an email to thenorternlightsdiary@gmail.com.
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