About Whaling Methods

The killing of whales has been part of the human culture for thousands of years. It is more commonly known as whaling and it is a topic of heated debate among fishermen, conservationists, ecologists and many others. Whaling techniques have evolved continuously over the history of the practice, and they vary greatly in modern societies, depending on where in the world the whaling is occurring.

History

The first cultures to introduce whaling into their societies were the Norwegians and the Japanese. They are also two of the leaders in the field in modern days. They began whaling all the way back in 6,000 B.C. and may have actually started earlier. Back then, large fleets of ships would kill whales brutally with harpoons for whale oil, food, and blubber. It wasn't until the 1900s, though that whaling really began to change. Since the 1500s, most coastal nations were whaling without restrictions. In the mid-1900s, though, new methods came into play. Harpoons were treated with stronger metals and eventually even grenades, to kill whales more quickly. With the inception of the International Whaling Commission, harpoon grenades were considered barbaric and whaling was restricted. This forced whalers to revert back to older methods of killing whales, but also to limit how many whales they kill a year, which drastically changed many whaling fleets.

Function

While frowned upon by many groups, harpoon grenades are still one of the most common methods of whaling. They involve shooting a whale with a harpoon that then explodes inside the whale's body. Some have experimented with whaling in confined spaces, much like a farm, though the free roaming nature of the whale has limited this. Nearly all types of whaling involve hunting wild whales.

Significance

Whaling methods for different nations often reflect cultural identity. In Japan, for example, the use of nets has been used since the 1600s. While other whaling nations do not use them for various reasons, the Japanese continue to do so because they are strongly rooted in tradition. Whaling is now important for this reason, and in other nations because whale meat is eaten by many people and their oil is used for various products.

Opposition

Those who oppose whaling would like to see it done away with forever, usually. However, since this may never happen, various whaling methods are targeted instead. Today, harpoon grenades are targeted more than anything else. They are said to be inhumane and thought to cause whales serious harm. Nets are also arguable unnecessary, according to those opposing whaling, because of their restrictive nature and because they prolong the death of the whale, therefore causing it to suffer.

Praise

Those who are for modern day whaling methods speak not only of tradition, but also of the actual humanity of said methods. Take the harpoon grenades, once again, for example. Many whalers state that this is the most humane way to kill a whale because it kills them instantly, rather than slowly using a regular harpoon. They also compare whaling to sport, such as fox hunting, only the whale is used for food and other products, whereas other hunting sports simply kill animals for recreation.

Resources

• International Whaling Commission website