The Purpose Of The International Regulation Of Whaling

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Many people may have seen the American reality TV show, "Whale Wars," it was broadcasted from the year 2008 to 2015. The show was about a group of activists' harassment and fight against the Japanese whaling ship. How the show depicted the fight between a group and Japanese ship was controversial, the show was cut off without a conclusion about this battle, but it concluded in me that the issue has to be ended without such fight. As a native Japanese myself, the Whale catching has been a controversial topic for decades, in particular, environmental activities against whaling increased rapidly since the 1980s and broadcasted or made the articles, the topic certainly caught the attention from worldwide.

Japan adhere to 1946 International …show more content…

The meat was regarded for the table, the fat was being utilized for industrial use, even the beard was being used for the creation of traditional toys and dolls. Whale catching is a part of "culture" in Japan for the centuries. Under the limited resource the country naturally has, Whale might have been a valuable resource. Is the situation same as of now? The answer is no. One of the purposes of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was to preserve the natural resource, Whale, as recognizing some species are in endanger. After years of protection under the provision, some are still in endanger, but some species increased the population. Does it mean that the member countries of IWC are allowed to hunt the Whale for cultural exemption? My response to the question is to suspend the …show more content…

If any species are in endanger, they should be protected by the regulation and provision. What makes the massive conflict on Whaling is that although the Whales are endangered animals, however, in contrast, as the regulation labeled, the Whales were treated as the natural resource historically. Whether the Whale as the natural resource or not, it has to be evaluated carefully based on the scientific research and ethic's point of view. Evaluation of cultural importance is also critical. A Certain level of preserving the culture is essential since Whaling was a part of Japan's history, but actual Whaling may not be necessary for future

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