Enormous marine mammals that captivate our imaginations and steal our hearts with their beauty, whales have something in common with many other wild animals: In some places, they are hunted for their meat and organs; this has been going on for hundreds of years. It can be saddening to think about these graceful creatures in their final minutes, yet for some indigenous people, a single whale can make a major difference in quality of life. Commercial whalers, on the other hand, are historically responsible for the demise of several species which are now on the brink of extinction. Understanding more about the history and practices behind these two very different methods of whale harvest can ease confusion.
Commercial Whaling
Before the 1600’s, only ancient cultures harvested whales – usually one at a time, in limited numbers, in the same manner in which today’s subsistence hunters do. During the 17th century, coastal communities began to hunt whales using faster, better organized fleets, and by the 18th and 19th centuries, the whaling industry was booming. Whales were harvested intensively during the beginning of the 20th century; massive factory ships allowed whalers to increase the number of whales slaughtered annually.
Why whales? As communities became larger, the need for consumable goods increased. People used refined whale oil to light their homes, and they utilized various parts of whales’ bodies, particularly whale bones to manufacture things like ladies corsets, fishing rods, umbrellas, handles for cutlery, and many other items. The meat was eaten, and blubber was rendered to be used in a variety of products including soap, candles, cosmetics, and more. In many places, whale harvests helped to improve the quality of life until the industrial revolution took place and other sources for life’s essentials became commonplace.
At first, it took a lot of effort to hunt a single whale, and whales often escaped unscathed simply due to their ability to make deep dives and outpace early ships. Whalers went to great lengths to create new technologies to make harvesting the animals more successful, less dangerous, and less difficult, until finally, whales were slaughtered on a massive scale. By the end of the 1930’s, about three hundred years into the history of commercial whaling, over 50,000 whales were killed each year, and in 1934, the Geneva Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was enacted although it was ignored by Germany and Japan. By 1950, whale populations were declining rapidly; it took another 36 years for the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to effectively ban commercial whaling with a 1986 moratorium designed to allow whales to recover.
While many species are coming back from the brink, world populations are nowhere near where they once were, when pods of hundreds of whales roamed the seas. Some nations, notably Japan and Iceland, want to restore the practice of commercial whaling, partly due to cultural culinary preferences, and partially to cull whales in order to increase the number of fish available for human consumption. Meat from whales harvested by commercial whalers today is primarily sold as an expensive delicacy, even though a variety of wonderful, sustainable food is abundant in nations where it is eaten.
One notable and controversial practice occurring now is the Japanese harvest of whales in the name of research each year; opponents say such research is unnecessary as research can be conducted with non-lethal measures instead. Once scientific testing has concluded, the whales’ meat is sold as food.
In Iceland, commercial whalers are increasing their activity despite the moratorium; in 2010, they killed hundreds of whales, including a number of endangered fin whales, and shipped over 750 tons of whale-based products and meat to Japan. Diplomatic pressure is increasing and some corporations in Iceland are being threatened with trade sanctions.
Members of environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace, and others, put themselves in harm’s way to attempt to halt illegal whaling; they document hunts, take direct action by attempting to block harpoons, and continue to work toward raising awareness about the problem. In retaliation, whalers often use water cannons, sonic devices, and other methods to stop activists from helping whales to escape.
Subsistence Whaling
While anti-whaling and environmental groups, along with the IWC, stand in firm opposition against unsustainable commercial whaling for any reason, a number of those same groups are unopposed to subsistence whaling in which groups of indigenous people who have traditionally consumed whale meat as a dietary staple for thousands of years continue the practice, using traditional methods including old-fashioned weapons as opposed to the massive cannons and exploding harpoons used in commercial whaling.
The IWC has a set of specific rules for subsistence whaling, called the Aboriginal Group Clause. Under these rules, groups wishing to carry out a hunt must provide evidence of both subsistence needs and cultural needs. Harvested whale meat may not be commercially traded; neither may it be exported. Hunters may trade or sell meat locally as tradition dictates; in most places, it is simply shared.
There are only a few places in the world where traditional populations still rely on whales for nourishment:
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In Lamalera and Lamakera, two Indonesian whaling communities, people use wooden outriggers and bamboo harpoons to hunt a small number of sperm whales annually; their religion dictates that they must use every part of the animal.
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In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a designated hunter, usually an elderly man, harvests a maximum of four whales annually using a hand-held harpoon and a rowboat. The annual quota is maintained by the IWC; at one point, the people were allowed to harvest only two whales every three years.
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Canada’s Inuit people harvest a small number of whales each year; they utilize the entire animal and share it among themselves. Without traditional hunts, their supply of caribou, wild geese, walrus, and other smaller game would be depleted quickly.
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In the Faroe Islands, Pilot Whales are harvested annually; all citizens receive a share of the whale harvest and nothing is wasted. The Faroese government regulates the hunt, which is still carried out with traditional methods used for centuries.
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Russia’s Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, a population living in the remote Far East, may harvest up to 140 gray whales per year; the population consists of approximately fifty thousand people. Other food sources include fish and caribou.
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In the United States, Alaska Natives from nine different communities carry out annual subsistence hunts in accordance with IWC regulations, taking an average of about fifteen whales each year, which are used to help feed all nine villages.
Each of these cultures relies on whale meat and blubber for nourishment, particularly for Vitamin C; each culture is remote, far away from supply chains that bring the rest of us our food; and, each has its own way of honoring the spirit of the whale through song, story, ritual, or ceremony. They consider the animals to be a gift from the sea, and in stark contrast to philosophies espoused by commercial whalers, they consider themselves to be stewards of the land and oceans on which their populations rely for survival.
While it has been deemed acceptable for this small population of native subsistence hunters to harvest a modest number of whales each year in order to survive, commercial whaling is still out of the question. Despite the current moratorium, many whale populations are endangered due to habitat loss, collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing gear, and poaching. And, while careful conservation may bring numbers up, more sustainable food choices are available for the rest of us.