Many think that whaling is a thing of the past; a practice no longer adhered to in our society, but this assumption is incorrect. The practice of whaling and all of the cruelty that it involves is very much a part of our society today. People are led to believe whale myths concocted by the governments of communities participating in whaling. These myths lead us to believe that the whale population is actually growing, but this is not the case at all. For example, according to Greenpeace, “The Japanese government continues to cite an outdated estimate of 760,000 minke whales in the Southern Hemisphere.”[i] My focus is going to be on stopping whaling off the coast of Japan. Whaling is definitely a problem in our society today and it is something that other college students should have more interest in. My overall goal would be to stop commercial whaling off the coast of Japan, but I will start with creating an organization on the University of Texas campus to raise awareness about this issue. The inhumane killing of whales for commercial profit is a problem that still haunts our oceans today, in order to solve this problem we must become educated about the whaling controversy that exists in our society today, we must raise awareness, and we must support those who are currently working hard to defend our oceans.
First and foremost we must become educated about this issue, as well as encourage others to learn about whaling. We must know that despite the International Whaling Commission’s Moratorium on Commercial Whaling, Japan has continued to kill whales. Japan gets away with it by calling it “Scientific Whaling” even though the whale meat still ends up in high-end Japanese restaurants.[ii] Also, “Most Japanese ‘research’ objectives are directed towards finding data to support a return to commercial whaling, and/or studies on how to make whaling more efficient.”[iii]Another important factor to know and understand is the consequences of whaling. Blue Whales and Minke whales seem to be suffering the most. Blue whale numbers have been reduced from 220,00 to now a measly 500 while recent reports show that there could be fewer than 250,000 Minke whales in the Southern Oceans.[iv] Besides becoming educated about the topic of whaling today, we must attempt to raise awareness and draw attention to the issue that our oceans face. By creating a group on campus to raise awareness and educate people about this problem, we will be taking one step closer to saving the whale population in the oceans off the coast of Japan.
Increasing education about the issue and raising awareness will be a huge help in stopping whaling, but there are people who are currently working hard in the field everyday to stop whaling and they need our support. Supporting those who are trying to put a stop to this cruel practice is probably the biggest way we can help. One organization that is attempting to stop whaling is Greenpeace. Greenpeace has been working against environmental destruction since 1971 and is currently working to put a stop to the whaling crisis. They accept donations from individuals and they also have a campaign allowing you to write to the Japanese government expressing your feelings about whaling. Another more radical approach to whaling can be found by watching the show “Whale Wars” on Animal planet. The Sea Shepherd and its crew go out into the middle of the “whale war” taking place off the coast of Japan. They try to end whaling for themselves by ramming the Japanese ships, spraying the ships with water canons, and throwing stink bombs aboard in order to get them off the trail of the whales. Although this is a much more radical approach, they have succeeded in saving the lives of multiple whales and could use our help. The University of Texas group focused on whaling would also work to raise money to support these two causes in order to assist them in saving the oceans.
The fact that whaling has serious consequences cannot be ignored. Therefore, the importance of becoming educated about the situation in Japan and raising awareness cannot be stressed enough. By creating an on campus group dedicated to stopping the practice of whaling, we will be able to spread the news about whaling and raise money to support those who are working in the field. Taking this class on leadership and ethics is giving me the tools needed to start such a group on campus. Over the next four years of my college experience I hope to create and manage this group so that it can grow and develop into something that can actually make a difference.
Notes:
1. Greenpeace. Whaling. 2010. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/whaling/ (accessed October 17, 2010).
2. Muller, C. George. Whaling Facts Summary . http://www.cgeorgemuller.com/summary.htm (accessed October 17 , 2010).
3. Muller, C. George. Whaling Facts Summary . http://www.cgeorgemuller.com/summary.htm (accessed October 17 , 2010)
4. Greenpeace. Whaling. 2010. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/whaling/ (accessed October 17, 2010).
Bibliography
Greenpeace. Whaling. 2010. http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/whaling/ (accessed October 17, 2010).
International Whaling Commission . IWC Information . April 4, 2010. http://iwcoffice.org/commission/iwcmain.htm#history (accessed October 17, 2010).
Muller, C. George. Whaling Facts Summary . http://www.cgeorgemuller.com/summary.htm (accessed October 17 , 2010).
Sea Shepered Conservation Society . Defending Whales. http://www.seashepered.org/whales/ (accessed October 17, 2010).
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