Whales

1
Whales whaling
2
THE HISTORY OF WHALING
3
Anglo-Saxons used whale materials and hunted
coastal species e.g. Atlantic gray whale Which
became extinct
4
Vikings commonly used whale products from hunted
stranded whales
5
By the 9th Century Norwegians had identified 23
species of cetacean. Their hunting technique
involved lancing whales with spears coated in
tetanus toxins
6
ALASKA

• The Inuit have hunted cetaceans for over 1000
  years.
• Various ceremonies are involved with the hunt.
• The skull of the hunted whale should be returned
  to the sea to ensure the immortality and
  reincarnation of the whale and, thus, future
  hunting success.

7
JAPAN

• Bones of dolphins at an archaeological site in
  the sea of Japan suggest drive fisheries for
  dolphins before 200BC.
• Harpoons from Pacific coast sites and the East
  China Sea.
• Many relics (skeletons/harpoons/paintings) of
  whaling from Hokkaido.
• Skeletal remains indicate 13 species were hunted
  or strandings utilised.

8

• Whaling in Europe began in 1052 by the Basques
  off the coasts of Spain and France (until 1766).
• Primarily hunted Northern right whales in the Bay
  of Biscay
• the right whale to hunt.
• Used every part of the whales including faeces
  to dye clothes.
• Also hunted bowhead and Atlantic gray whales

9

• In the 1610 the UK and Holland started whaling.
• Holland
• 1610 - 1669 15,000
• 1670-1794 64,888 (mostly bowhead whales)
• The British took comparable numbers with a fleet
  of 137 vessels by 1732.
• By the 1800s the British were the main whaling
  nation
• The US began whaling in 1640s-
• Northern right whales, humpback whales and
  bowhead whales.
• Sperm whales later became a priority target
• -high (and high-quality) oil yields from the
  spermaceti organ in sperm whale heads
• - whaling grounds included the Pacific

10
US Whaler 30-35 men Captain 4 mates 4
harpooners Steward Blacksmith Cooper 15-20 sailors
11
Voyages lasted 4-5 years. Food consisted of
salted pork/beef and thick crackers. No one ate
whale meat.
12
MOBY DICK

• Written by Herman Melville.
• Published in 1851.
• Melville had worked on several sperm whaling
  boats.
• Moby Dick was a white Sperm whale, a rare
  genetic defect

13
Uses of whale oil Soap, shampoo, detergent,
cooking fat, lipstick, margarine,
ice cream, crayons, paint,
polish, lino,
lubricants
dynamite
Uses of baleen riding crops, shoehorns,
umbrella ribs, brushes, watch springs, shop
shutters, fishing rods, fans, corsets and
crinolines
14
Uses of whale tissues Skin bootlaces, bike
saddles, handbags, shoes. Tendons tennis
racquets, surgical thread. Blood sausages,
fertilizer. Connective tissue jelly, sweets
photo film

• Uses of whale meat
• fertilizer,
• dog food,
• animal feed.
• Only eaten in Iceland, Norway, Korea and Japan

15
JAPAN

• Bones of dolphins at an archaeological site in
  the sea of Japan suggest drive fisheries for
  dolphins before 200BC.
• Archaeological evidence for 13 species hunted.
• In late 1700s a new type of whaling evolved
  whales herded into bays with boats and entangled
  in nets before being harpooned.
• Calves were targeted as mothers stayed with their
  harpooned offspring.
• Whaling was concentrated only in a few areas
  (e.g. Taiji),
• Whaling effort by Japan was relatively low until
  the 20th Century

16
Sven Foyn (1809-94) An ex-seal hunter. In 1860s
remarked on the large whales seen on sealing
trips. God had let the whales inhabit these
waters for the benefit and blessing of mankind
and, consequently, I consider it my vocation to
promote these fisheries.
17
EVOLUTION OF WHALING TECHNOLOGY Before 1850s
whales killed with hand held harpoons and
lances 1852 first explosive harpoon (the bomb
lance) 1859 - first purpose built steam powered
whaling ship (but catching of whales still done
from rowing boats) 1863 - Norwegians build the
first steam-driven whaling schooner (catching
boat) 1865 - More accurate exploding harpoon 1868
- Cannon-fired explosive harpoon (grenade-tipped
harpoon - design still in use today)
18
1925 First factory shipWhaling fleets can
process whales at sea and do not have to return
to shore
The start of Antarctic whaling
19
JAPAN

• Japan was a relatively small player in the
  international whaling (low high seas presence).
• However, after WW2 US General MacArthur promoted
  whaling as a source of protein for devastated
  post-war Japan.
• EG At this time whale meat became major source of
  protein for school lunches.
• Japans whaling industry expanded significantly
  during this period.

20

• 350,000 Blue whales
• 500,000 Fin whales
• 1,000,000 Sperm whales
• 250,000 Humpback whales
• 100,000s Other species

21
Blue whales reduced to less than 5 of original
population At one time only 300 blue whales left
in world.
22
1931 Whalers notice that some whale species in
decline and join forces to enact The Convention
for the Regulation of Whaling 1946 ? The
International Whaling Commission
23
Due to depletion by whaling one by one whaling
bans are introduced for individual species 1931
Bowhead whales 1935 Southern and Northern
right whales 1937 Gray whales 1966 Humpback
whales Blue whales 1979 Sei whales (except
in Iceland) 1982 IWC votes to introduce a
moratorium (ban) on all commercial
whaling 1984 Sperm whales 1986 Moratorium
comes into effect
24

• HOWEVER, over 25,000 WHALES KILLED SINCE BAN CAME
  INTO EFFECT

25

• When the whaling moratorium was enacted, Norway
  put in a reservation.
• Norway is, therefore, NOT BOUND BY THE BAN. It
  initially respected the ban, but then restarted
  commercial whaling in 1993.
• It currently takes approx. 650 minke whales a
  year - LEGALLY

26

• Japan eventually signed up to the whaling
  moratorium.
• However, it uses a loophole in the moratorium
  that allows whales to be killed for scientific
  research.
• After blubber and stomach content samples are
  taken, meat is processed and sold in markets

27

• The so-called scientific whaling program of Japan
  has been heavily criticized by scientists.
• Including the majority of scientists in the IWCs
  own scientific committee
• Clapham, P.J., Berggren, P., Childerhouse, S.,
  Friday, N.A., Kasuya, T., Kell, L., Kock, K.-H.,
  Manzanilla-Naim, S., Notabartola Di Sciara, G.,
  Perrin, W.F., Read, A.J., Reeves, R.R., Rogan,
  E., Rojas-Bracho, L., Smith, T.D., Stachowitsch,
  M., Taylor, B.L., Thiele, D., Wade, P.R.
  Brownell Jr., R.L. 2003. Whaling as science.
  Bioscience 53 210-212.
• Who stated ..just how bad does science have to
  be before its quality ceases to be a mater of
  opinion.
• And Many IWC Scientific Committee members have
  contended that Japans scientific whaling program
  is so poor that it would not survive review by
  any independent funding agency.

28
The 2006 IWC Meeting
Scientific Committee Meeting 400 Scientists
The Commission Meeting Diplomatic Representatives
of 50 countries
Sorrento - Italy
29
SCIENTIFIC PERMITS
Japan currently hunts minke whales in the North
Pacific (JARPN) e.g. 2005 100 minke whales
(Balaenoptera acutorostrata) Also 100 Sei whales
(Balaenoptera borealis) 50 Brydes whales
(Balaenoptera edeni?) 5 Sperm whales (Physeter
macrocephalus)
30
SCIENTIFIC PERMITS
ALSO - Japan hunts approx. 850 minke whales
(Baleanoptera bonarensis) and 10 fin whales
(Baleanoptera physalus) in the Antarctic for
scientific purposes (JARPA)
31

• In 1994, the International Whaling Commission
  made the Southern Ocean a Whale Sanctuary
• hunting of whales is banned in this area
  regardless of the moratorium

Despite this, Japan still hunts minke whales in
the Antarctic for scientific
purposes
32
The aims of these catches are to investigate
impacts of whales on fisheries (i.e. whales eat
so many fish they must be culled) Do this by
looking at stomach contents and ecosystem
models Method has been criticised as being too
simplistic and highly flawed
33
SCIENTIFIC PERMITS
... A report distributed at the IWC by
Kaschner Pauly refuted the Japanese claims that
whales are eating too many fish "Our analysis
clearly shows that there is no evidence that food
competition between marine mammals and
fisheries is a global problem." "Consequently,
there is little basis to blame marine mammals for
the crisis world fisheries are facing today."
"We find that the bulk of consumption by marine
mammals occurs in areas of low overlap with
fisheries In other words, what marine mammals
consume is largely stuff that we do not catch in
areas where we do not fish. "The bulk of what
they eat is actually not fish, its krill and
other things that we dont eat."
34
ALSO

• But the hunt of these minke whales is
  controversial
• e.g. recent circumpolar surveys estimated only
  40 of the number of minke whales from the
  previous survey
• WHY WAS THERE SUCH A MASSIVE DECREASE IN WHALES?

35
WHY WAS THERE SUCH A MASSIVE DECREASE IN WHALES?

• Perhaps-the previous (1989) survey hugely
  over-estimated numbers?
• Which would mean quotas set on survey
  estimates may be seriously flawed
• Perhaps-there has been a real decrease in the
  number of whale in the Antarctic
• -climate change?
• -habitat loss?
• -depleted food source?
• -disease?
• -whaling?

Under IUCN criteria an actual, observed or
implied 50 decrease of whales within a 10 year
period would make the species ENDANGERED
36
Moreover Japanese scientists are saying that
their data shows that minke whales are becoming
smaller and sexually mature at an earlier
age After 20th century whaling there is so much
food for minke whales they are becoming sexually
mature at a younger age But in other species
where age of maturity has decreased
OVER-EXPLOITATION (e.g.
37
The number of humpback whales are increasing
since commercial whaling on this species
ceased Japan know wants to conduct scientific
research on Antarctic humpback whales Countries
such as Australia are opposed - the whales the
Japanese will hunt are the same animals watched
by tourists in Australia
38
ICELAND SCIENTIFIC WHALING

• In the summer of 2003 Iceland harvested 37 minke
  whales for scientific purposes.
• This was a reduced quota from their original
  proposal which included 100 fin whales, 50 minke
  whales and 50 sei whales.
• The Icelandic proposal was severely criticized by
  the IWC scientific committee because

39

• The research proposal lacked defined and testable
  hypotheses.
• Much of the information could be derived from
  non-lethal means (biopsy darting).
• Some data (e.g. on blood chemistry) would be
  severely skewed due to the effects of stress and
  trauma.
• Data on prey consumption would be biased due to
  the sampling regime.
• Many of the areas of research had already been
  addressed in other studies.
• The proposed work on assessing impacts of whales
  on fisheries had already been deemed
  inappropriate due to a lack of appropriate
  ecosystem/foodweb models.
• Iceland had previously conducted a scientific
  whaling program in the late 80s. No data have so
  far surfaced from this so-called scientific
  program.

40

• There has been criticism of this whaling in
  Iceland particularly from the tourism
  businesses because of the impacts on tourism
• -The majority of whales taken were in key
  whalewatching areas (a third of the animals in
  Keflavik coastal waters)
• Also there has been an inability to use the whale
  meat already harvested
• - Only a small domestic market for the meat
• - Japan refuses to import Icelandic meat

41
ICELAND WHALEWATCHING

• Whale-watching started in 1990 after commercial
  whaling ceased

• Worth over US12 million in 2002

i.e. 3-4 times value of commercial whaling

• Will be worth over US20 million in 2006

• But 91 of whale-watchers in the UK stated that
  they would not go whale-watching in a country
  that hunted whales.

Parsons, E.C.M. Rawles, C. 2003. Current Issues
in Tourism 6 444-448.
42
IWC 2006 issues
43

• REVISED MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (RMP)

The moratorium was enacted as a precaution to
allow whale stocks to recover and to prohibit
commercial whaling until a sustainable quota
system was put in place
This quota calculation method is called the
Revised Management Procedure (RMP)
44
REVISED MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (RMP)

• The RMP has been accepted by the IWC so a quota
  calculation method is now in place for commercial
  whaling
• But there are concerns about the appropriateness
  of the RMP

45
REVISED MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (RMP)

• For the RMP to work there must be
• Accurate information on the number of animals in
  each whale stock.
• - which is not the case (e.g. Antarctica)
• Accurate information on how many whales are/have
  been harvested.
• which is not the case (e.g. historic
  falsification of catch data by Russia and Japan)

46
REVISED MANAGEMENT SCHEME (RMS)

• Besides the quota-generating method (RMP), in
  order for commercial whaling to resume, the
  Revised Management Scheme (RMS) must be in place
• The RMS encompasses the management measures that
  accompany quotas, such as reporting mechanisms,
  product tracking, and enforcement

47

• Some anti-whaling countries (e.g. US) and NGOs
  are now negotiating a version of the RMS and
  reopen commercial whaling
• Their reason? They hope that the RMP will produce
  quotas smaller than the number of animals
  currently being taken by
  Norway and Japan
• They also hope that this will stop the
  impossible-to-control scientific whaling

48

• BUT
• There are concerns that nations will not abide by
  the RMP or a strong RMS e.g. the Norwegian
  government altered parameters of the quota
  calculation method to produce the quota they
  desired (1800 minkes!)
• AND there is every reason to believe scientific
  whaling will continue IN ADDITION to commercial
  whaling

49

• ALSO, proposed versions of the RMS are very weak
  it would do little to prevent the type of
  cheating conducted previously
• There would be no international DNA tracking
  system
• (so impossible to tell if a product was legally
  taken or not)
• Little, if any, tangible means of enforcing
  quotas
• Monitoring whaling activity on the high seas is
  notoriously difficult the RMS did little to
  solve the problems

50
Pro Vs Anti whaling nations

• Many new (pro-whaling) members have been
  recruited to the IWC
• e.g. Nicaragua, Belize, Morocco, Palau,
  Solomon Islands, Gabon

• There is considerable controversy about many of
  the small countries that have recently joined the
  IWC

• There have been suggestions that Japan has been
  using foreign aid money to coerce these countries
  into voting for whaling

51
Pro Vs Anti whaling nations

• In an Antigua Barbuda government newsletter it
  was stated that a 17 million fisheries grant
  from Japan was
• as a direct result of its pro-whaling stance

• In 2000 the Dominican Minister for Environment
  Agriculture Fisheries
  resigned and stated

Japan announced that if they couldnt get
Dominica to come along with them at the IWC
they would have to place Dominican aid projects
under review
If thats not extortion by the Japanese
Government, I dont know what is
52
Pro Vs Anti whaling nations

• Japan calls this a global vote consolidation
  program.

• It was noted that every small nation receiving
  Japanese fisheries aid money voted with Japan
  at the 2004 IWC

In 1987 a Japanese fisheries official had stated
When the Japanese Government selects the
countries to which it provides fisheries grants,
criteria include that the recipient country must
have a fisheries agreement with Japan and it must
take a supportive position in various
international organisations.
53
Pro Vs Anti whaling nations
Japans Deputy Commissioner to the IWC Masayuki
Komatsu also stated in 2001
that he saw nothing wrong with Japan using
Overseas Aid money to buy votes at the IWC.
As a result of this program the pro-whaling
countries outweighed the 29 anti-whaling and
neutral nations at the 2006 IWC.
54
The St Kitts Declaration
As the result of a pro-whaling majority at the
2006 IWC the so called St Kitts Declaration was
passed
This says
EMPHASIZING that the use of cetaceans in many
parts of the world including the Caribbean,
contributes to sustainable coastal communities,
sustainable livelihoods, food security and
poverty reduction and that placing the use of
whales outside the context of the globally
accepted norm of science-based management and
rule-making for emotional reasons would set a bad
precedent that risks our use of fisheries and
other renewable resources
UNDERSTANDING that the purpose of the 1946
International Convention for the Regulation of
Whaling (ICRW) is to provide for the proper
conservation of whale stocks and thus make
possible the orderly development of the whaling
industry (quoted from the Preamble to the
Convention) and that the International Whaling
Commission (IWC) is therefore about managing
whaling to ensure whale stocks are not
over-harvested rather than protecting all whales
irrespective of their abundance
55
NOTING that in 1982 the IWC adopted a moratorium
on commercial whaling (paragraph 10 e of the
Schedule to the ICRW) without advice from the
Commissions Scientific Committee that such
measure was required for conservation
purposes FURTHER NOTING that the moratorium
which was clearly intended as a temporary measure
is no longer necessary, that the Commission
adopted a robust and risk-averse procedure (RMP)
for calculating quotas for abundant stocks of
baleen whales in 1994 and that the IWCs own
Scientific Committee has agreed that many species
and stocks of whales are abundant and sustainable
whaling is possible
CONCERNED that after 14 years of discussion and
negotiation, the IWC has failed to complete and
implement a management regime to regulate
commercial whaling. ACCEPTING that scientific
research has shown that whales consume huge
quantities of fish making the issue a matter of
food security for coastal nations and requiring
that the issue of management of whale stocks must
be considered in a broader context of ecosystem
management sic since eco-system management has
now become an international standard
56
REJECTING as unacceptable that a number of
international NGOs with self-interest campaigns
should use threats in an attempt to direct
government policy on matters of sovereign rights
related to the use of resources for food security
and national development
NOTING that the position of some members that are
opposed to the resumption of commercial whaling
on a sustainable basis irrespective of the status
of whale stocks is contrary to the object and
purpose of the International Convention for the
Regulation of Whaling
UNDERSTANDING that the IWC can be saved from
collapse only by implementing conservation and
management measures which will allow controlled
and sustainable whaling which would not mean a
return to historic over-harvesting and that
continuing failure to do so serves neither the
interests of whale conservation nor management
NOW THEREFORE COMMISSIONERS express their
concern that the IWC has failed to meet its
obligations under the terms of the ICRW and,
DECLARE our commitment to normalizing the
functions of the IWC based on the terms of the
ICRW and other relevant international law,
respect for cultural diversity and traditions of
coastal peoples and the fundamental principles of
sustainable use of resources, and the need for
science-based policy and rulemaking that are
accepted as the world standard for the management
of marine resources.
57
Other issues
58
OTHER WHALING ISSUES

• A paper in 2003 stating that Brydes whales off
  Japan are not one but possibly three species
• Balaenoptera brydei
• Balaenoptera edeni
• Balaenoptera omurai
• As two of these are newly identified species,
  there is no information on exactly how many of
  each species are in the North Pacific
• Yet Japan is catching 50 animals a year
• In 2003 the IWC decided to keep treating Brydes
  whales as one species
• Wada, S., Oishi, M. Yamada, T.K. 2003. A newly
  discovered species of living baleen whale. Nature
  426 278-281.

59
WHALEMEAT CONTAMINATION

• Whale dolphin meat in Japanese markets is
  contaminated with heavy metals

• Two-thirds of samples exceeded Japanese health
  limits for mercury (n58)

• One sample 36x higher than allowable levels

• Mean mercury levels in boiled liver were
  high enough to cause acute intoxication even
  from a single ingestion.

Endo, T., Haraguchi, K., Sakata, M. 2003.
Archives of Environmental Contamination and
Toxicology 44 412-416. Endo, T., Haraguchi, K.,
Cipriano, F., Simmonds, M.P., Hotta, Y. and
Sakata, M. 2004. Chemosphere 541653-1662
60

• Another study also found that 37 of minke whales
  tested positive for Brucella

Ohishi, K., Zenitani, R., Bando, T., Goto, Y.,
Uchida, K., Maruyama, T., Yamamoto, S., Miyazaki,
N. and Fujise, Y. 2003. Comp. Immunol. Microbiol.
Infect. Dis. 26125-136

• Brucella spp. are the causative factor of
  brucellosis in mammals

symptoms include joint and muscle pain, and
epididymitis and inflammation of the testes in
males and the induction of abortion in females.

• The disease is transferable to humans and has
  health implications from ingesting or merely
  contacting whale meat

Parsons, E.C.M., Bass, C., Perry, C., Rose, N.A.
and Simmonds, M.P. 2006. Mar. Pollut. Bull.
61
OTHER WHALING ISSUES
One of the IWCs objectives is to allow stocks of
whales to return to numbers approaching
pre-exploitation levels
They estimated these levels were 20,000
humpbacks and 30-50,000 fin whales in the North
Atlantic based on whaling records
A recent genetic study estimates
pre-exploitation levels were actually
10 these amount and whale numbers are far more
depleted than previously thought
Roman, J. Palumbi, S. R. 2003. Whales before
whaling in the North Atlantic. Science 301 508
510.
62
IWC Conservation Committee
A new IWC committee resulting from a 2003
resolution Its aims are to

• Assess progress made in the conservation of
  whales
• Prepare conservation recommendations for the IWC
• Implement conservation programs
• Help to focus public and private resources on key
  conservation issues facing cetaceans
• Although the committee has barely started the
  fact that it exists is a very positive step for
  the IWC

63
ABORIGINAL WHALING
64
ABORIGINAL WHALING

• Indigenous communities are permitted
• to hunt a quota of whales for subsistence
  purposes.
• This currently occurs in
• The Russian Federation
• The USA
• Greenland (Denmark)
• Bequia (St. Vincent and the Grenadines)

65
ABORIGINAL WHALING

• E.g. Barrow, Alaska, USA
• The Inupiat and Yupik have hunted bowhead whales
  for over 2000 years.
• They are allocated a quota of approximately 60
  whales

66
HOWEVER

• Bowhead whales are endangered
• The hunt does not involve traditional methods
• exploding harpoons
• spotter planes
• motorised/ speed boats
• The meat and blubber are used by the population,
  but whale bone and baleen are carved to make
  souvenirs for tourists

67

• In 1996, the Makah (Washington State) applied for
  a quota of Gray whales
• In 1997 they issued a joint proposal with the
  Chukotka of Russia
• NB1 The Makah have not hunted whales since 1926.
• NB2 The hunt is supposed to be traditional BUT
• The hunters use speed boats and anti-tank rifles
• The rituals are not adhered to
• e.g. Abstinence from alcohol and sex
• for one month prior to the hunt
• The whales are supposed to be butchered by the
  Makah hunters for local consumption, but for
  their one hunt to date, they hired an outside
  butcher and distributed meat to non-Makah

68

• Species 95 96 97
• Russia Gray whale 140 140 140
• W. Greenland Minke whale 155 155 155
• Fin whale 19 19 19
• E. Greenland Minke whale 12 12 12
• USA Bowhead 68 67 66
• Canada Bowhead 2 2 2
• Not an IWC member

69
ABORIGINAL WHALING (AWMP) -The Greenland issue
The IWC currently sets Aboriginal Subsistence
Whaling quotas for certain whale stocks, to be
used by indigenous peoples who demonstrate a
traditional, nutritional and cultural need for
hunting whales. Greenland has an annual hunt of
minke whales and fin whales but this is
controversial as Theres been no assessment of
how many whales there are off Greenland for 14
years (minke) and 20 years (fin)
70
ABORIGINAL WHALING (AWMP) 2004
92 of the minke whales caught are female (which
may have a big impact on recovery) The IWC Sci.
Comm. Suggested a reduction or elimination of
Greenlands fin whale quota in 2005 But the hunt
continues
71
ABORIGINAL WHALING (AWMP) 2004
ALSO The meat is not all consumed locally for
subsistence needs 19 of minke whale meat and 40
of fin whale meat is sold to markets or exported
(to Denmark) There have also been attempts to
export meat to Norway
72
ABORIGINAL WHALING (AWMP) 2004
ALSO. There are mounting concerns
internationally over the humane/welfare aspects
of the hunt In 2003 a fin whale took 12 hours to
die. In 2002 2003 two minke whales took 5
hours to die
73
Japan tried to gain a quota of whales for

• Small-type coastal whaling
• Tried to suggest that this was a type of whaling
  similar to aboriginal whaling
• Suggested that the village communities that
  would conduct this whaling are small and
  impoverished
• E.g. Shimonoseki - population size of a major
  town or city
• - major port.
• - whaling would be conducted with
  Antarctic-style whale catcher ships

74
A coastal whaling village
Population 244,494 (1.1.2006) half the
population of DC or Boston