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Whaling today |
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Whale hunting takes place in at
least the following countries today, some of which are members of the IWC while others are
not: Canada, the Commonwealth of Dominica, the Faroes, Greenland, Grenada, Indonesia,
Japan, Norway, the Phillipines, Russia, St.Lucia, St.Vincent and the Grenadines,and the
USA. The so-called "IWC whales" that are
hunted are bottlenose, bowhead, Bryde's, gray, fin, humpback, minke and sperm whales. The
"non-IWC whales" hunted are beluga, narwhal, Baird's beaked, pilot, pygmy killer
and various dolphins and porpoises.
Canada |
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Inuit in Canada hunt beluga,
narwhal, pilot and bowhead whales. The three former are "non-IWC whales". About
800 beluga and narwhal are hunted annually in Canada. Two bowheads
were caught in 1996, none
in 1997, one in 1998 and none in 1999. This year there has been
issued a licence to take one bowhead. Since Canada is not a member
of the IWC, there has been some controversy about the very limited hunt of the bowhead.
The IWC has passed resolutions against Canada, and the US has threatened with economic
sanctions.
Further reading:
Caribbean |
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In Grenada, the Commonwealth of
Dominica and Saint Lucia limited whaling occurs. Short-finned pilot whales, pygmy killer
whales and various dolphins including the spinner dolphin are caught. In the Commonwealth
of Dominica an average of two sperm whales beach per year, and these are consumed if
encountered in a fresh state. The meat of the
short-finned pilot whale is sold locally and eaten fresh and boiled. The meat is referred
to as "blackfish". 300 - 450 pilot whales are hunted annually in at least four
Caribbean countries.
In the past some sperm and humpback whales were hunted.
But today, humpacks are hunted only in St. Vincent and the Grenadines of the Caribbean
islands.
The Faroes |
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The Faroese have been catching
pilot whales since the 10th century, or as long as the islands have been permanently
settled. There are almost continuous catch records dating back to 1584. The pilot whales are caught in whale drives. When a school of
whales is sighted close to land, and when sea and weather conditions permit, boats gather
in a wide semi-circle behind the whales and slowly and quietly begin to drive them towards
the chosen authorized bay and up on the beach where they become stranded.
The whale is killed with a sharp knife cutting down to the
spinal chord and severing the major arteries leading to the whale’s brain. The hunt
is quite bloody, with the nearby sea turning red.
In the last decade, the annual hunt has been about 1,000
pilot whales. The North-Atlantic population is estimated to be 780,000.
The Faroese also take a few
bottlenose whales. Until the 1980s, there was also a fin whale hunt.
Further reading:
Greenland |
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Bowhead and humpback were among
the species traditionally hunted in Greenland. Greenland had an IWC-quota for humpback
until 1985. Now, species such as pilot, minke and fin whales are also being hunted. The fin whale and most of the minkes are hunted with boats equipped
with a mounted cannon. About 50 minkes are allocated to the collective hunt, using boats
with outboard motors, rifles and harpoons.
Narwhal and belugas are being hunted from kayaks and small
boats, using rifles and hand-held harpoons.
In 1998, 11 fin whales were hunted, including two struck
and lost, as well as 176 minke whales, including three struck and lost.
In 1999, 11 fin whales were hunted and
186 minke whales, there of were 170 taken in West-Greenland and 16
in East-Greenland. Also there was one sei whale taken by mistake.
The hunt of pilot
whales is increasing, from 67 in 1996, to an estimated 120-170 in each of 1997 and 1998.
727 narwhal and 521 beluga were taken in 1996.
The products from the hunt are shared among the crews,
with a portion being sold in open-air markets, supermarkets and small stores.
The Home Rule Government of Greenland participates in the
IWC as part of Denmark. Greenland participates independently in the Canada-Greenland Joint
Commission on the Conservation and Management of Narwhal and Beluga, as well as in the
North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO).
Further reading:
Indonesia |
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Indonesia is not a member of the
IWC. However, a hunt for sperm whales, an IWC-species, takes place. 26 spermwhales were
caught in 1998, with 19 boats participating. The all time high was in 1969 when 56 whales
were taken, and the all time low was in 1982 when only two were caught. There
are indications that about 20 Bryde's whales are also hunted. Traditionally killer whales
and smaller cetaceans were hunted, but the current catch statistics are not known at this
time.
Further reading:
Japan |
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Japan has a long history of
whaling. Species hunted today include short-finned pilot whales, Dall's porpoise, Baird's
beaked whales, Risso's dolphin and the minke whale. Various forms of hunting take place,
e.g. drive , hand-held harpoon hunt, boats equipped with a harpoon cannon. Japan is also hunting minke whales for scientific purposes in the
Antarctic and in the North-Pacific. This year, 444 minkes were caught under special
permits in the Antarctic, and another 100 are expected to be caught in the North-Pacific.
Further reading:
Norway
<<<click to read about Norwegian whaling |
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The Phillipines |
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The full extent of whaling in
the Phillipines is not known. Reports indicate that maybe five Bryde's whales are caught
annually, as well as an unknown number of various dolphin species and killer whales. Russia |
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The indigenous peoples of
Chukotka in north-east Siberia are hunting whales. In 1998, 122 gray whales, from a quota
of 132, were taken as well as one bowhead, out of a quota of five.
In 1999 the hunt was 123 gray whales and 1 bowhead. True indigenous whaling
for gray and bowhead resumed in 1993. Using skin boats and wooden whaleboats, whalers take
the whales using harpoons, spears and – for the last two years – American
darting guns. Some belugas and narwhal are also
caught.
Further reading:
St.Vincent and the Grenadines |
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St. Vincent and the Grenadines
has an IWC-quota of two humpback whales. From 1990 to 1995 only one boat took part in the
hunt. The whaler on this boat was born in 1921, and became a harpooner in the 1950s.
People believed that this hunt would be phased out as he was aging. However, in 1991 his
nephew was recruited to the crew. In 1996, he became a harpooner with his own boat and
crew.
In addition, 50-60 short-finned pilot whales are taken
annually as well as a number of dolphins.
The meat is shared among those involved in the hunting and
the processing of the whales. It is then sold and consumed domestically.
USA |
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The USA is still a whaling
nation, as bowhead, beluga and gray whales are hunted by the Alaskan Eskimos.
In 1999, 47 bowheads were taken. Unconfirmed
reports indicate that a couple of minkes are also occassionally
taken.
In 1997, the Makah
tribe in Washington State got the green light from the IWC to resume the hunt for gray
whales after a 70 years hiatus, with an annual quota of four animals. The Makah tried to
get a gray last autumn, but due to several factors were unable to catch one. They managed
to take one whale in May 1999. Further reading:
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