By Clarke Sondermann Sources of impact
Whaling is an important issue because it affects the entire marine ecosystem and food chain, as well as decreasing the overall whale population History of Japanese Whaling
Japanese Whaling has been present since the 12th century Used to be just for one whale at a time, particularly for trophy whales Has now evolved into a high-consumption hunting economy Whaling in other countries
Used to be more prevalent, but has become mostly illegal these days Japan, Iceland, and Antarctica still practice whaling Why is this happening?
Whaling occurs today not because of its economic gains, but mostly because of how ingrained it is in those countries societies Also happening still due to stubbornness towards change Abiotic effects on the ecosystem:
There are no serious Abiotic effects on the ecosystem, the primary effects have to do with whale population decline and damage to the food chain Biotic effects on the ecosystem:
Whaling obviously decreases the population of whales, some towards near-extinction Also hurts the food chain greatly, since whales are at the top of the consumption food chain then when their population is threatened the population of the species below them grows rapidly Population of Blue Whales Population of Minke Whales Laws governing this issue
In 1982, the International Whaling Commission placed a moratorium on commercial whaling However, Japan pressured the commission into allowing whale slaughter for “scientific research,” which is now used as a front for commercial whaling International Whaling Commission
A group of 89 countries that come together to decide laws regarding whaling Banned commercial whaling in 1982, however added a clause allowing whaling for scientific research, which is now exploited Responses
Many organizations, such as Oceanic Preservation Society and Greenpeace have launched campaigns to try to stop whaling, especially in Japan Eco-terrorism regarding Whales
Sea Shepherds Popularized through the TV show ‘Whale Wars’ The Cove
Academy Award-Winning documentary about dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan Popularized the issue to a much wider audience Greenpeace’s ‘Send a Whale’ www.send-a-whale.com Easy and fun form of online petition What you can do to help
Send a whale through the website Donate to The Oceanic Preservation Society Text ‘Dolphin’ to 44144 Bibliography
The Cove. Dir. Louie Psihoyos. Perf. Ric O'Barry. Oceanic Preservation Society, 2009. DVD. Jacquet, Jennifer L. "Science Blogs." Shifting Baselines. Science Blogs, 6 Dec. 2008. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Matsutani, Minoru. "Taiji Told to Stop Dolphin Carnage or Sister Ties End." The Japan Times Online: News on Japan, Business News, Opinion, Sports, Entertainment and More. The Japan Times, 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Ackerman, Reuben B. "JAPANESE WHALING IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN: DEFIANCE OF INTERNATIONAL WHALING NORMS IN THE NAME OF “SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH,” CULTURE, AND TRADITION."JAPANESE WHALING IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN: DEFIANCE OF INTERNATIONAL WHALING NORMS IN THE NAME OF "SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH," CULTURE, AND TRADITION. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. "How Japanese Whaling Affects the Environment." How Japanese Whaling Affects the Environment. Your Dictionary Science, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. "Whaling on Trial: Vindication!" Greenpeace International. Greenpeace International, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2012. Spilman, Richard. "Whale Wars - Eco-Terrorism as Reality TV." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 June 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.