Pros And Cons Of Hunting Non Endangered Whales

I believe that the Japanese and the Norwegians should be allowed to hunt non endangered whales and that they have a right to claim a cultural exemption. But this exemption should only be from within their own territorial waters where they would have to manage their coastal stocks.

The Japanese traditionally did their whaling close to their own coastal shores (Whaling in Japan, 2016) and have been doing open boat whaling since the 12th century (Whaling in Japan, 2016). It was the depletion of their stocks that pushed them out into international waters. I think that the whaling ban should remain in place in international waters. Since they can neither claim sovereignty or any cultural connection, especially since they are predominately whaling

Otherwise any nation could claim an cultural exemption in order to maneuver a better trade settlement. I think that the WTO should handle these situations much like they would in any other trade type dispute. They should be brought before a board of non involved, non interest nations that have no connection to the parties in the dispute. They should also not have a stake in this type of dispute meaning Japan should not be on the board reviewing Norway and the reverse would e true. There would be some concern that either party would maneuver the talks so that they could later benefit from such

If it were taken away, then the culture would be less recognizable. If taken away would it irreparably damage the nations economy or its ability to sustain its self. A cultural activity could also include forms of media that represent that activity in different formats. Formats where there are differing types of expression such as dance, theater, filmography or other mediums of presentation.

Does the economic impact of whaling on the small fishing villages weigh into your decision?

Yes the economic impact of whaling, on the small fishing village, does weigh heavily into my decision. I would classify fishing much like I would farming. My brother in-law is a 5th generation farmer in Canada. He lives and breathes the life on the farm and it is more a way of life that it is a job or just a task to do. He is a harvester of the earth much like fishermen are harvesters of the ocean. This is, in part, why I would allow whaling within territorial waters but only non endangered species.

How should these claims be balanced against world opinion - which is generally very supportive of the protection of