Why Whaling?

 There are many sound arguments for sustainable whaling. Here are some of them:  

• Eating whale meat is far more environmentally-friendly than eating beef, lamb or pork. Harvesting nature's surplus means that biodiversity and habitat does not have to be destroyed and turned into agricultural land.

• Whaling does not destroy the environment and is very energy efficient – producing beef requires much more energy than producing whale meat.

• As free-range animals, whales are spared the prolonged suffering of factory-farm livestock.

• The products from the hunt are used for human consumption, including meat, fins, blubber, etc. Whale meat is rich in protein (23.5%), lean and tasty.

• Practicing the principles of conservation and sustainable use as embodied by the world community in Agenda 21.

• Whaling provides a livelihood in many remote communities, both as food and goods to be traded.

• The activity of hunting in numerous communities is one primary vehicle for the transmission of traditional ecological knowledge from generation to generation. The important role this knowledge offers humanity is recognised by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity.

• Recognition that cultural differences exist and that minorities (and not only the majority) have rights, especially when seeking to base actions on ethics.

• It makes no sense at all to refrain from sustainably utilising the traditional renewable resources of one’s community, and to rely on possibly unsafe meat imports from the large- scale industrialised countries.