Commercial Whaling
It's the end of September, and we’re approaching the end of the commercial whaling season in Iceland. Whaling extends from mid-June to mid-September, but this year had a late start: whaling boats were only able to begin hunting September 1st. Due to animal welfare concerns, a ban that prevented whaling until August 31st was enacted. This ban emphasized concerns that whaling practices aren't ethical enough: an analysis conducted by the International Fund for Animal Welfare found that out of 58 whales killed, 41% didn't die instantly. Typically, the animal suffered for 11.5 minutes before actually dying. Another major concern was the slaughtering of pregnant whales; in the 2022 season, 11 whales killed were pregnant and 1 was lactating (raising a calf). This is because there is no immediate way to determine the gender of a whale, and whether it’s pregnant or not, posing a significant risk to the practice.
Apart from an obvious animal rights issue, whaling is a practice that sets off a chain reaction of negative impact. Whales are an umbrella species; making them particularly important to their ecosystems since they’re at the top of their food chain. Food chains consist of an important balance. If disrupted, it can offset the rhythm of an entire ecosystem, something with disastrous consequences. Whales are particularly important for controlling overpopulation, as whale species consume as much as 40 million krill daily. Furthermore, the depths at which they feed and leave excrements is a vital part of nutrition for many shallowater species. These excrements end up transporting nutrients from deeper feeding zones to shallower water. The decrease in whale populations is not only destructive to the species themselves, but to every creature around them.
Despite their crucial role in ecosystems, the world has continued to hunt this indispensable species. Since the spread of whaling as a commercial practice, populations have dramatically decreased in oceans globally. Between 1904 and 1979 alone, around 750,000 individuals were killed in the Southern Hemisphere, and amongst these almost 99% of the blue whale population. However, whaling existed many centuries before this. It’s alleged to have been around since 2200 B.C, with the first evidential example of an organized whale hunt first recorded in 700 A.D. by the Basque population. By 800 A.D, whaling had expanded into Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Finland and countless other European populations (keep in mind, these populations were not actually of these nationalities since they didn't exist yet, but it is a conventional way of describing the peoples who inhabited those areas). By the twelfth century, Japan and Russia had begun to practice whaling, and by the 16th century the U.S. was whaling as well. It is important to note the aforementioned peoples are peoples we have records of whaling of. For example, indigenous peoples, like the Inuit of Northern America, have been whaling for more than 4000 years.
Concrete data about whale populations has only been available since 1883. When scientists began recording data, whaling was highly commercialized and practiced with little formal limits or regulations. Because of this, whale population stocks became unable to sustain demands; in 1946, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was founded, with the purpose of helping preserve these important mammals. The IWC gathered to address these concerns and later, in 1986, a temporary -although permanent in some parts of the Southern Hemisphere- international moratorium was put in place. It still hasn't been lifted, even today.
Over the 19th century, whale conservation efforts saw much progress, but unfortunately not enough to completely ban commercial whaling. Today, Iceland is amongst one of three other countries (along with Japan and Norway) that refuse to abide by the commercial whaling moratorium. While Japan and Norway reject the moratorium entirely, Iceland accepts it with certain reservations. In 2006, they reintroduced the hunting of fin whales, a threatened species, with a catch limit of 209 fin whales and 217 minke whales per season. Because of these actions, Iceland’s membership to the IWC and formal acceptance of the moratorium is still not recognized by many members of the Commission such as Italy and Mexico, whicj believe that whaling in Iceland should be completely banned.
There is good news though: Iceland is most likely going to be moving away from whaling as a commercial activity. Whale meat exports only account for 0.6% of the value of Iceland’s seafood exports, and they all end up in Japanese markets. However, the amount of Japanese meat imports have decreased drastically, from more than 250,000 tonnes in its peak whale market, around the 1960s, to around 1000 tonnes of whale meat imported in 2021. On another positive note, Iceland’s tourism sector is heading towards marine wildlife tours in recent years, a hopeful opportunity for a prospective shift in the whales’ potential commercial value. As for the people of Iceland, a survey found 51% of Icelanders were opposed to whale hunting, while only 29% were in favor (the majority 60 or older). Furthermore, Iceland only has one more commercial whaling company operating today, Hvaur, and its license should be expiring after the 2023 season.
Centuries and centuries of whaling have caused detrimental damage to our oceans and their populations, but there is hope for future marine mammal conservation. If anything, the decline of whaling in recent years demonstrates the power of our voices, and what we can do if we come together to try and protect the environment and the planet.
Written by Beatrice Bos; Edited by Sophia Hernandez