Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Negatives of whaling
Whaling and its impact
Impact of japanese whaling
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Director, writer, and producer, Gabriella Cowperthwaite, in her documentary, Blackfish, describes the shameless hunting and treatment of killer whales. Cowperthwaite’s purpose is to persuade us into opening our eyes to the reality of what we are doing to killer whales by confining them in captivity. She invents an emotionally wrenching tone in order to transmit to the adult viewers that living in captivity may not be acceptable life for the whales. The film effectively showed that the whales should not be kept in captivity by giving the audience examples of their signs of aggression and displays of emotion. Cowperthwaite begins her documentary by showing how killer whales can become barbaric when held captive.
Lars Gustafson 11/4/15 GEOG 304 Research Paper: Shark Finning With an alarming one in four shark species endangered across the globe, we have come to a breaking point where our oceans ecosystems could suffer permanent damage if the practice of shark finning in the oceans off of Eastern Asia continues as shark population’s plummet. According to www.stopsharkfinning.net, tens of millions of sharks are killed every single year just for the fins that are the main ingredient in shark fin soup. Shark fins are harvested to feed the growing demand for shark fin soup that is an Asian delicacy food. When the sharks are finned they are usually thrown back into the water and left to drown slowly.
I think that underwater noise does not affect whales. The U.S. Navy has used sonar for about 50 years. Since they started, the Navy has not seen any difference in the way whales live. In the article "What Underwater Noise?" the author states "but they did not change their overall behavior. "
In the documentary “Blackfish” a claim has been made that killer whales are extremely aggressive creatures and are fully capable of intentionally causing fatalities. Through the basic knowledge of killer whales it can be concluded that these mammals are intelligent; therefore, they are aware of the destruction they are causing. Throughout the film the whales have displayed violent behavior. For example, one of the famous whales, Tilikum continuously pulled a trainer under the water causing her to come close to losing her life; unfortunately, among these incidents there have been deaths. In addition, over 70 incidents regarding the whales injuring trainers have occurred.
North Atlantic Right Whales are dying and
The Makah say they stopped whaling to protect the endangered animal that was so sacred to them. (Article 2) The makah also argue that just because they stopped whaling, doesn't mean it's any less important to them. “Whaling is what we do; it’s what all our songs and stories are about.” (article 1) Animal activists counter this argument with the fact that they survived almost 100 years without whaling.
This article from Killer Whale. Org is an informative document detailing information regarding the killer whale species. This article includes information about their origin, habitat, culture, social structure, and the captivity trade. This source is trustworthy because the information that is within the article directly comes from BioExpedition, a publication that contains factual data from noted scientists and biologists in the field. This source is also trustworthy because the research that has been conducted has been vastly accepted as fact by the marine biology community.
Until now, “The products made from various bits of whale include: lamp oil (from sperm oil), margarine and cooking oil (from whale oil), candles, soaps, cosmetics and perfumes (from sperm oil), corsets and umbrellas (from whalebone), whale-meat for human consumption, animal feed (from meat meal), fertiliser (from bone meal), string for tennis racquets (from tendons)”(Module 9.5.1 Replacing Natural Products) In the past, whales were used for lamp oil, cooking oil, candles, soaps, umbrellas, meat, animals feed, fertilizers and strings for tennis
This quote shows the dangers of whaling because it is common for men to be injured at sea. Whales are enormous creatures whos instinct is to fight for their lives if they are in danger, leading them to cause destruction on ships and kill the men who hunt them. Once the whale is dead, the task of bringing the whale towards the ship is even harder. The crew works six hour shifts until the body is processed, taking days to finish depending on weather or size of whale. “Trying out a whale could take as long as three days.
Many nations around the world have whaling in their history, such as Japan, Norway, and Iceland. Hundreds of years ago, there were hundreds of thousands of whales in the oceans. Now, whale populations are struggling to survive and are on the downhill slope. In this book, Heller talks with Captain Watson and brings to light the irreversible damage the people of this plant have brought upon the ocean, including whales. Even though Whale Warriors is mainly about a few crazy people trying to save whales, it does a fantastic job of of also talking about the damage done to the ocean from overfishing and pollution.
Shark finning is the practice whereby the fins of the sharks are sliced off and their remaining bodies are then thrown back to the ocean where the sharks would experience a slow agonising death; either the sharks would starve to death or would be slowly eaten by other predators. Millions of sharks are killed each year for their fins, which is only 5% of their whole body weight. These fins would then be transported globally just to satisfy the demand of the shark fin soup. As of late, there is an increase in the number of species listed by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) as endangered. ("Shark Education – Shark Finning Facts")
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).
The hunting of whales by man is thousands of years old, but it became an important industry during the nineteenth century, when industrialization and urbanization created a demand for the lighting oil which could be produced from whale blubber. The demand for oil drove the whaling industry until the development of petroleum oil in the late nineteenth century, but whaling for meat continued. The increasing scarcity of many whale species, together with the growing recognition of the intelligence and social nature of whales, led to calls for the regulation of whale hunting and the creation of the International Whaling Commission. Effective from 1986, the IWC introduced a ban on whaling which placed a moratorium on commercial whaling. Under the guise of scientist research, countries such as Japan continue to hunt more whales than can be justified by the needs of scientific inquiry.
Whaling refers to hunting of whales. Whales are mainly hunted for meat and oils. It is a cultural activity of Japan and Norway. Whaling is considered to be brutal and inhumane in several parts of the world. In 2000, a United Nations conference was held debating whether whaling should be banned or not.
The Norwegian and Japanese positions and arguments to be permitted with the hunting of non-endangered species of whales as a cultural exemption should not be considered. According to the Whale and Dolphin Conservation, “the whaling industry is in decline and the demand for meat is falling” (WDC, n.d.). Given this statement, I would support the ban of whaling worldwide. In addition, it would be difficult and costly to monitor the whaling activity that is taking place in waters where whales frequent.