Whalers in Japan are expected to return to commercial whaling after three decades, on July 1, a day after Japan’s membership in the conservation body, International Whaling Commission (IWC) comes to an end. This announcement is sparking debate among environmentalists and those promoting whaling traditions and heritage.
Charles H. Greene
Professor, Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Charles Greene, professor of oceanography at Cornell University, has studied whales for decades. He says the new plan by Japan is actually an improvement from past practices.
Greene says:
“First, I will state that I would prefer that nobody was hunting whales. However, that is a personal value judgement, and I do not think that one group of people should dictate their values on another group. Therefore, in my opinion, if we are going to allow aboriginal peoples in Alaska to hunt whales, then I don’t understand how we can argue that the cultural values of one ethnic group should be given priority over those of another. So, as a scientist, I would prefer not to take a stand either way based on cultural and social values.
“From a scientific perspective, I think that the new plan by Japan is actually an improvement. If the country restricts its harvest to minke whales at levels that the IWC determine are sustainable, then it is likely the harvest will remain much lower than what the Japanese were harvesting previously in the Southern Ocean for so-called ‘research purposes.’
“In fact, I wish that this compromise had been offered to the Japanese many years ago as it would have prevented them from quitting the IWC and being viewed by much of the world as a rogue nation.
“We should be pleased that Japan is joining IWC member nations in eliminating the harvesting of whales in the Southern Ocean. With that said, there are other unsustainable seafood harvesting practices by the Japanese, like long-line fishing, that are much more deserving of our condemnation.”
