Whaling around the world is much more common than is widely perceived. Although it is the commercial and scientific hunts of Norway and Japan which attract the greatest attention, a number of other whale hunts take place in many regions of the world, including the Arctic, the Caribbean, Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Among the cetaceans hunted are a number currently regulated by the IWC, including bowhead, Bryde's, fin, humpback, gray, minke and sperm whales; and other species of small cetaceans, including the beluga, narwhal, Baird's beaked whale, pilot whale species, pygmy killer whales, harbour porpoises and various species of dolphins.
| Norway | Faroe Islands | Indonesia |
| Japan | Greenland | Philippines |
| United States | Russia | New Zealand |
| Canada | Caribbean |
Norway, which has one of the longest traditions in whaling, is currently the only country in the world that formally and openly hunts large whales for commercial purposes. Since 1993, it has allowed a limited hunt of minke whales in the North Atlantic. In February, the Norwegian Fisheries Department announced a quota of 674 animals for 2002, the largest quota set since commercial whaling resumed in 1993 (when the quota was 753 animals). It is anticipated, however, that the 2002 hunt will yield the highest catch since the resumption of whaling. Currently this stands at a catch of 625 animals in 1998, but there is renewed interest in whaling this year because of the prospect of exports to Japan. Although there is some dispute as to the exact size of the North and Central Atlantic minke population, it appears that the level of exploitation by Norway is sustainable. The North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission estimates, for example, that the combined Central and Northeast Atlantic stock numbers around 184,000 individuals. The Norwegian quota therefore represents less than 0.5% of this total, an exploitation rate which is generally regarded to be well within safe limits.
Links
Greenpeace Whales: Norwegian whalingNorwegian whaling: Greenpeace Report for IWC 53
Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society: Norwegian Whaling
On the resumption of the Norwegian minke whale hunt
Norwegian Commercial Whaling: Issues for Congress
Japan has a long history of whaling and currently is the world's leading whaling nation. Although international attention tends to focus on the scientific hunts of IWC whales, a number of other small cetaceans are also the subject of hunts, including short-finned pilot whales, Dall's porpoise, Baird's beaked whales and Risso's dolphin. These hunts are quite substantial, with over 20,000 animals being killed in some years. The IWC whales which are hunted for research purposes are the minke whale, Bryde's whale, sperm whale and, as from this year, the sei whale. Various forms of hunting take place, from hand-held harpoon hunts to industrial boats equipped with a harpoon cannon.
As regards research whaling, Japan hunts minke whales for scientific purposes in the Antarctic (JARPA) and in the North-Pacific (JARPN). In 2000, 439 minke were caught under special permits in the Antarctic, and another 40 were taken under special permits in the North-Pacific, along with 43 Bryde's and 5 sperm whales. The North Pacific programme for 2001 included 100 minke, 50 Bryde's and 10 sperm whales in the North Pacific, and 440 minke whales in the Antarctic. Japan has recently announced that the 2002 JARPN hunt will also include, for the first time, sei whales, a species not hunted since the 1970s. These hunts can take place under IWC rules because member Governments are allowed to determine their own permits and allocations for scientific purposes. The hunts have encountered substantial criticism, however, as they are widely perceived to be commercial whaling operations in disguise. Given the number of whales killed, and the fact that products from the hunts appear on supermarket shelves, this criticism appears to be well-justified.
Links
Japan
and the Management of Whales (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Whale
and Dolphin Conservation Society: Japanese Whaling
Greenpeace
Whales: Japan
Greenpeace
International Report: Japanese Whaling (2001)
Towards
Extinction: the Exploitation of Small Cetaceans in Japan
Japan's
Senseless Slaughter: An investigation into the Dall's porpoise hunt
A Survey of the Commercial
Trade in Whale Meat Products in Japan
The USA is still a whaling nation, as bowhead, beluga and gray whales are hunted by the Alaskan Eskimos. In 2000, the Alaskan Eskimo took 42 bowhead, and 238 beluga. Unconfirmed reports indicate that a couple of minke are also occasionally caught. In 1997, the Makah People 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. They managed to take one whale in May 1999. The Makah have a Treaty with the U.S. Government which guarantees their whaling rights.
Canada is one of the world's largest whaling nations. Within its borders, a number of indigenous peoples continue to hunt whales, as they have done for many centuries. Inuit in Canada hunt beluga, narwhal, pilot and bowhead whales. Several hundred beluga and narwhal are hunted annually in Canada: in 2000, the Inuit catch was approximately 787 beluga and 350 narwhal. One bowhead was caught in 1998, none in 1997 and two in 1996. Despite the limited number of bowhead whales caught, this has possibly been the most controversial of the Canadian hunts. The IWC has passed resolutions against Canada on a regular basis, urging it to stop the bowhead hunt, and the United States has threatened economic sanctions. Although a founding member of the IWC, Canada left the Commission in 1982 because of concerns of its whaling communities and, in particular, the management of bowhead whales. Canada retains observer status at the IWC, however, and contributes to the work of the Scientific Committee. It also has observer status with the North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission (NAMMCO) and, in the case of narwhal and beluga, cooperates with Greenland through the Canada-Greenland Joint Commission on the Conservation and Management of Narwhal and Beluga.
Links
Land Claim
Agreements and the Management of Whaling in the Canadian Arctic
Aboriginal
whaling: Canada
Inuit
Circumpolar Conference Resolution
98-02 Regarding the Pangirtung Bowhead Whale Hunt
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.
Links
FI
Department of Foreign Affairs: Whaling
Information
Whale
and Dolphin Conservation Society: Faroe Islands
Pilot
Whaling in the Faroe Islands
Modern and
Traditional - Whaling in the Faroe Islands
Greenland also has a whaling tradition dating back many centuries, with bowhead and humpback whales among the species traditionally hunted. Greenland had an IWC-quota for humpback until 1985, but now only has subsistence quotas for minke and fin whales. For the period 1998-2002, the quotas were set by the IWC as follows:
West Greenland fin whales: an annual catch of 19 whales;
West Greenland minke whales: annual number of whales struck not to exceed 175 (with up to 15 unused strikes permitted to be carried over each year);
East Greenland minke whales: an annual catch of 12 whales (with up to 3 unused strikes permitted to be carried over each year).
In addition to these species, Greenlanders also hunt pilot whales, narwhal and beluga. The fin whale and most of the minke and pilot whales are hunted with boats equipped with a mounted cannon. About 50 minke are allocated to what is called "the collective hunt", using boats with outboard motors, rifles and harpoons. Narwhal and beluga are hunted from kayaks and small boats, using rifles and hand-held harpoons. In 2000, 7 fin whales were hunted, as well as 179 minke whales, including three struck and lost. The hunt of pilot whales is increasing, from 67 in 1996, to an estimated 120-170 in each of 1997 and 1998, in 2000, 150 were taken. 727 narwhal and approximately 500 beluga were taken in 2000.
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 NAMMCO.
Links
Whaling - a Part of our
Culture
Inuit Whaling
and Sealing
Making Money
Prohibited - Aboriginal Hunting
Once a leading industrial whaling nation, whaling now takes place only in the north-Siberian territory of Chukotka, home to the indigenous Chukchi and Yup'iit peoples. Here whaling is carried out using wooden whale-boats and harpoons, spears and, in recent years, darting guns. Bowhead and North Pacific gray whales are hunted, under subsistence quotas granted by the IWC, and also narwhal and beluga. In 1998, 122 gray whales, from a quota of 132, were taken and one bowhead, out of a quota of five. Similar quantities were taken in 1999 and 2000. The harvest of beluga varies (it was around 100 individuals in 2000), although it is believed to be sustainable.
Links
Russia Defies IWC: Allows Chukotka Inuit to Take Two Bowheads
In the Caribbean, limited whaling takes place in Grenada, Dominica, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The hunts primarily target a number of small cetacean species, including short-finned pilot whales, pygmy killer whales and various dolphins including the spinner dolphin. 300-450 pilot whales are hunted annually in the Caribbean. Additionally, humpback whales are hunted in the St. Vincent and the Grenadines, under an aboriginal-subsistence quota granted by the IWC. The hunt was limited to two whales per year for the period 2000-2002.
Links
Humpback whaling in St Vincent and the Grenadines
Traditional
Humpback Whale Hunting in St. Vincent & the Grenadines
Humpback
whaling in St Vincent and the Grenadines
Whale
and Dolphin Hunts in the Eastern Caribbean
The primary focus in Indonesia is a small hunt for sperm whales. The peak harvest occurred in 1969 when 56 whales were taken, but the recent hunt has been around half of this level. For example, in 1998, 26 sperm whales were caught, with 19 boats participating. The hunt uses traditional, hand-made wooden boats and hand-held harpoons. In addition to sperm whales, small numbers of killer whales, Cuvier's goosebeak whales and, possibly, other small cetaceans are also hunted. There have also recently been indications that a small number of Bryde's whales are hunted from a village that did not participate in the sperm whale hunt. Indonesia is not a member of the IWC and does not participate as an observer, even though the sperm whale is an IWC-regulated species.
Links
World
Council of Whalers: Indonesia
Whaling
in the Indonesian village Lamalera
The full extent of whaling in the Philippines 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, although the whaling tends to be mainly opportunistic and so is likely to vary from year to year. Until the 1990s, there was a significant hunt of around 200-300 dolphins annually, although this hunt seems to have almost disappeared after successive bans on the harvesting of whales and dolphins by the Philippine Government during the 1990s. The Philippines is not a member of the IWC. The species harvested in its waters are not currently regulated by the IWC, however.
Links
World Council of Whalers: Philippines
The New Zealand Maori have a whaling tradition dating back many centuries. In the past Maori hunted small cetaceans, although they mainly relied on the regular strandings of various whales which occur around the coastlines of their communities. The ancient Maori practice of utilizing stranded whales endured throughout the colonial period, but was made illegal in 1978 with the introduction of the Marine Mammals Protection Act by the New Zealand Government. While accepting the need to protect marine mammals, the Act is widely perceived by the Maori as extinguishing their rights (both customary and under the Treaty of Waitangi) to utilize whales. They argue that not only is access to meat, oil, bone and teeth lost, but also an important customary practice through which traditional knowledge can be passed from generation to generation. Some very limited protocols to access only dead animals are currently being developed between Maori and the Government, however.
Links
Te Ohu Kai Moana
(Treaty of Waitangi Fisheries Commission)
New Zealand
and the International Whaling Commission: A Maori Viewpoint
World Council of
Whalers: Aotearoa