The Pros And Cons Of International Whaling

Whaling has been an activity pursued by several countries, many of them have abandoned the practice, but not Japan, Norway or Iceland. According to Marrero & Thornton (2011), humans have been whaling for thousands of years. The whales are killed not out of pleasure but to use their meat, skin, and practically all of their organs and body parts for nourishment and to provide material goods (Marrero & Thornton, 2011). The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was formed in 1946. Its mandate is two-fold: provide for the proper conservation of whale stocks and enable the orderly development of the whaling industry (International Whaling Commission, 2016). Whaling is claimed to be part of the cultural value of Japan and Norway, and as such, it is a violation of their sovereign rights to impose an international whaling ban.

It is part of their cultural heritage and as such, they will defend their right to do it. Other countries kill animals as part of their cultural traditions. Spain has been killing bulls since the 12th century in what is known as “corrida de toros” or “bullfights” (Carrión, n.d.). If the hunting and killing of other species for pleasure is permitted, it would not be fair to only ban the killing of whales. As sovereign nations, they have every right to defend their position, that does not make what they are defending necessarily right. It is true that indigenous cultural traditions need to be protected and preserved, but when a tradition harms the balance of the planet or openly challenges worldwide accepted values, it needs to be