Whales whaling

2. THE HISTORY OF WHALING

6. ALASKA The Inuit have hunted cetaceans for over 1000 years. Various ceremonies are involved with the hunt. The skull of the hunted whale should be returned to the sea to ensure the immortality and reincarnation of the whale and, thus, future hunting success.

7. Bones of dolphins at an archaeological site in the sea of Japan suggest drive fisheries for dolphins before 200BC. Harpoons from Pacific coast sites and the East China Sea. Many relics (skeletons/harpoons/paintings) of whaling from Hokkaido. Skeletal remains indicate 13 species were hunted or strandings utilised. JAPAN

8. Whaling in Europe began in 1052 by the Basques off the coasts of Spain and France (until 1766). Primarily hunted Northern right whales in the Bay of Biscay � the �right� whale to hunt. Used every part of the whales � including faeces to dye clothes. Also hunted bowhead and Atlantic gray whales

9. In the 1610 the UK and Holland started whaling. Holland 1610 - 1669 ~15,000 1670-1794 ~ 64,888 (mostly bowhead whales) The British took comparable numbers with a fleet of 137 vessels by 1732. By the 1800s the British were the main whaling nation The US began whaling in 1640s- Northern right whales, humpback whales and bowhead whales. Sperm whales later became a priority target � -high (and high-quality) oil yields from the spermaceti organ in sperm whale heads - whaling grounds included the Pacific

12. MOBY DICK Written by Herman Melville. Published in 1851. Melville had worked on several sperm whaling boats. Moby Dick was a white Sperm whale, a rare genetic defect

14. Uses of whale meat fertilizer, dog food, animal feed. Only eaten in Iceland, Norway, Korea and Japan

15. Bones of dolphins at an archaeological site in the sea of Japan suggest drive fisheries for dolphins before 200BC. Archaeological evidence for 13 species hunted. In late 1700s a new type of whaling evolved � whales herded into bays with boats and entangled in nets before being harpooned. Calves were targeted as mothers stayed with their harpooned offspring. Whaling was concentrated only in a few areas (e.g. Taiji), Whaling effort by Japan was relatively low until the 20th Century JAPAN

18. 1925 � First factory shipWhaling fleets can process whales at sea and do not have to return to shore

19. Japan was a relatively small player in the international whaling (low high seas presence). However, after WW2 US General MacArthur promoted whaling as a source of protein for devastated post-war Japan. EG At this time whale meat became major source of protein for school lunches. Japan�s whaling industry expanded significantly during this period. JAPAN

20. 350,000 Blue whales 500,000 Fin whales 1,000,000 Sperm whales 250,000 Humpback whales 100,000s Other species

24. HOWEVER, over 25,000 WHALES KILLED SINCE BAN CAME INTO EFFECT

25. When the whaling moratorium was enacted, Norway put in a reservation. Norway is, therefore, NOT BOUND BY THE BAN. It initially respected the ban, but then restarted commercial whaling in 1993. It currently takes approx. 650 minke whales a year - LEGALLY

26. Japan eventually* signed up to the whaling moratorium. However, it uses a loophole in the moratorium that allows whales to be killed for scientific research. After blubber and stomach content samples are taken, meat is processed and sold in markets

27. The so-called scientific whaling program of Japan has been heavily criticized by scientists. Including the majority of scientists in the IWC�s own scientific committee: Clapham, P.J., Berggren, P., Childerhouse, S., Friday, N.A., Kasuya, T., Kell, L., Kock, K.-H., Manzanilla-Naim, S., Notabartola Di Sciara, G., Perrin, W.F., Read, A.J., Reeves, R.R., Rogan, E., Rojas-Bracho, L., Smith, T.D., Stachowitsch, M., Taylor, B.L., Thiele, D., Wade, P.R. & Brownell Jr., R.L. 2003. Whaling as science. Bioscience 53: 210-212. Who stated: �..just how bad does science have to be before it�s quality ceases to be a mater of opinion.� And �Many [IWC Scientific Committee] members have contended that Japan�s scientific whaling program is so poor that it would not survive review by any independent funding agency.�

28. The 2006 IWC Meeting

31. In 1994, the International Whaling Commission made the Southern Ocean a Whale Sanctuary � hunting of whales is banned in this area regardless of the moratorium

34. ALSO But the hunt of these minke whales is controversial�� e.g. recent circumpolar surveys estimated only 40% of the number of minke whales from the previous survey � WHY WAS THERE SUCH A MASSIVE DECREASE IN WHALES?

35. WHY WAS THERE SUCH A MASSIVE DECREASE IN WHALES? Perhaps-the previous (1989) survey hugely over-estimated numbers? Which would mean quotas set on survey estimates may be seriously flawed Perhaps-there has been a real decrease in the number of whale in the Antarctic -climate change? -habitat loss? -depleted food source? -disease? -whaling?

38. In the summer of 2003 Iceland harvested 37 minke whales for �scientific purposes�. This was a reduced quota from their original proposal which included 100 fin whales, 50 minke whales and 50 sei whales. The Icelandic proposal was severely criticized by the IWC scientific committee because�

39. The research proposal lacked defined and testable hypotheses. Much of the information could be derived from non-lethal means (biopsy darting). Some data (e.g. on blood chemistry) would be severely skewed due to the effects of stress and trauma. Data on prey consumption would be biased due to the sampling regime. Many of the areas of research had already been addressed in other studies. The proposed work on assessing impacts of whales on fisheries had already been deemed inappropriate due to a lack of appropriate ecosystem/foodweb models. Iceland had previously conducted a scientific whaling program in the late 80s. No data have so far surfaced from this so-called scientific program.

40. There has been criticism of this whaling in Iceland � particularly from the tourism businesses because of the impacts on tourism -The majority of whales taken were in key whalewatching areas (a third of the animals in Keflavik coastal waters) Also there has been an inability to use the whale meat already harvested - Only a small domestic market for the meat - Japan refuses to import Icelandic meat

41. Whale-watching started in 1990 after commercial whaling ceased ICELAND & WHALEWATCHING

43. REVISED MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (RMP)

44. The RMP has been accepted by the IWC � so a quota calculation method is now in place for commercial whaling But there are concerns about the appropriateness of the RMP

45. For the RMP to work there must be� Accurate information on the number of animals in each whale stock. - which is not the case (e.g. Antarctica) Accurate information on how many whales are/have been harvested. which is not the case (e.g. historic falsification of catch data by Russia and Japan)

46. Besides the quota-generating method (RMP), in order for commercial whaling to resume, the Revised Management Scheme (RMS) must be in place The RMS encompasses the management measures that accompany quotas, such as reporting mechanisms, product tracking, and enforcement

47. Some anti-whaling countries (e.g. US) and NGOs are now negotiating a version of the RMS and reopen commercial whaling Their reason? They hope that the RMP will produce quotas smaller than the number of animals currently being taken by Norway and Japan They also hope that this will stop the impossible-to-control scientific whaling

48. BUT There are concerns that nations will not abide by the RMP or a strong RMS � e.g. the Norwegian government altered parameters of the quota calculation method to produce the quota they desired (1800 minkes!) AND there is every reason to believe scientific whaling will continue IN ADDITION to commercial whaling

50. Pro Vs Anti whaling nations Many new (pro-whaling) members have been recruited to the IWC e.g. Nicaragua, Belize, Morocco, Palau, Solomon Islands, Gabon

51. Pro Vs Anti whaling nations In an Antigua & Barbuda government newsletter it was stated that a $17 million fisheries grant from Japan was: �as a direct result of its pro-whaling stance�

52. Pro Vs Anti whaling nations Japan calls this a global �vote consolidation� program.

53. Pro Vs Anti whaling nations

54. The St Kitts Declaration

58. A paper in 2003 stating that Bryde�s whales off Japan are not one but possibly three species: Balaenoptera brydei Balaenoptera edeni Balaenoptera omurai As two of these are newly identified species, there is no information on exactly how many of each species are in the North Pacific Yet Japan is catching 50 animals a year In 2003 the IWC decided to keep treating Bryde�s whales as one species Wada, S., Oishi, M. & Yamada, T.K. 2003. A newly discovered species of living baleen whale. Nature 426: 278-281.

59. Whale & dolphin meat in Japanese markets is contaminated with heavy metals WHALEMEAT CONTAMINATION

60. Another study also found that 37% of minke whales tested positive for Brucella

62. Assess progress made in the conservation of whales Prepare conservation recommendations for the IWC Implement conservation programs Help to focus public and private resources on key conservation issues facing cetaceans Although the committee has barely started the fact that it exists is a very positive step for the IWC IWC Conservation Committee

63. ABORIGINAL WHALING

64. ABORIGINAL WHALING Indigenous communities are permitted to hunt a quota of whales for subsistence purposes. This currently occurs in: The Russian Federation The USA Greenland (Denmark) Bequia (St. Vincent and the Grenadines)

65. E.g. Barrow, Alaska, USA The Inupiat and Yup�ik have hunted bowhead whales for over 2000 years. They are allocated a quota of approximately 60 whales ABORIGINAL WHALING

66. HOWEVER Bowhead whales are endangered The hunt does not involve traditional methods: exploding harpoons spotter planes motorised/ speed boats The meat and blubber are used by the population, but whale bone and baleen are carved to make souvenirs for tourists

67. In 1996, the Makah (Washington State) applied for a quota of Gray whales In 1997 they issued a joint proposal with the Chukotka of Russia NB1: The Makah have not hunted whales since 1926. NB2: The hunt is supposed to be traditional BUT The hunters use speed boats and anti-tank rifles The rituals are not adhered to: e.g. Abstinence from alcohol and sex for one month prior to the hunt The whales are supposed to be butchered by the Makah hunters for local consumption, but for their one hunt to date, they hired an outside butcher and distributed meat to non-Makah

68. Species �95 �96 �97 Russia Gray whale 140 140 140 W. Greenland Minke whale 155 155 155 Fin whale 19 19 19 E. Greenland Minke whale 12 12 12 USA Bowhead 68 67 66 Canada* Bowhead 2 2 2 *Not an IWC member

73. Japan tried to gain a quota of whales for �Small-type coastal whaling� Tried to suggest that this was a type of whaling similar to aboriginal whaling Suggested that the �village� communities that would conduct this whaling are small and impoverished E.g. Shimonoseki - population size of a major town or city - major port. - whaling would be conducted with Antarctic-style whale catcher ships