The Japanese have authorized the harvest of whales. This action, along with Japanese use of the cultural-tradition defense, has been attacked by many, including Greenpeace. The problem with these attacks is the total lack of consistency. Inconsistency is noting new for Greenpeace, considering the group’s co-founder resigned because of Greenpeace’s stance against nuclear energy. For example, Greenpeace lists the whaling issues to include: Norwegian, Icelandic, and Japanese whaling. Conspicuously absent from this list of condemnation is the killing of whales by aboriginal people.
Bowhead whale being slaughtered in Barrow, Alaska
Aboriginal whaling is the killing of whales by groups that have a tradition of whaling. These groups are from the following countries (numbers represent the number of whales killed each year): Greenland (170), United States (56), Russia (140), Canadian (130), Caribbean (400), and Indonesia (56). The species killed by these groups include, Gray, Fin, Minke, Humpback, and Bowhead.
If the argument against whaling is the scarcity of whales and the possible loss of species, the identity and cultural background of the hunter is irrelevant. Many of the attacks on whaling focus on the intelligence of the animals and the cruelty of their death. For example a post in the Greenpeace blog Defending Our Oceans, details the harvesting of a whale by the Japanese ship Kyo Maru,
Our eyes and hearts could not believe what we were seeing as the whale repeatedly lunged out of the water a few metres (sic) in front of our inflatable. She was trying to swim away and stay on the surface to breathe but the harpoon and vicious wound in her side was pulling her down. For a moment when she looked straight at us, I saw straight into and through her eyes and could see her mouth gaping open appearing to let out a sound. She looked at us with immense suffering and fear and I knew that she was asking; “Why is this happening? Please help me.”
It took two gunshots to her head from a crewmember onboard the hunter ship before she succumbed. The moment was filmed on camera forever and in our minds for a very long time – and I truly hope that no one ever has to view it. The merciless, violent brutality of this whale hunting is beyond comprehension. For the rest of the day I have been fighting back tears and afraid to sleep as then the silence will bring back the visual reality of this morning’s horror.
By comparison to the killing of whales by the Lamalera (people living on Lembata Island, Indonesia), the methods used by the Japanese are very humane. The Japanese use a harpoon with a grenade that severs major nerves and blood vessels in the whale and causes rapid death, which happens instantaneously or could take up to 2 minutes. By way of comparison, the method used by the Lamelera lasts,
for more than six hours, their hands gripping traditional duri flensing knives, to subdue the whale . . . far cry from the whaling fleets of Japan, whose factory boats and grenade harpoons wreak slaughter on an industrial scale. But with disappearing whale stocks and the availability of more sophisticated harpoon technology, one wonders how long this remarkable tradition will continue.
Remarkable tradition? Six hours of suffering while fishermen kill the whale with their bare hands. If Nicole from Greenpeace is correct, these whales must be saying “Why is this happening, if you are going to kill me just get it over with, don’t stab at me for hours.” It is, however, unlikely that the whales are thinking anything of the sort, nor are they taking much solace in the fact that they are being killed by aboriginal people. Death is death from the whales point of view.
Whaling by indigenous peoples is defended on the grounds of tradition and subsistence. In Barrow, Alaska, 25 whales are harvested each year on the basis that the “whale hunt plays a vital role in the lives of the Inuit, making up over half the meat that they eat.” According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are 1,000 white citizens and 46 Black or African American citizens in Barrow, out of a total population of 4,581. What do these people eat? How are they able to survive without whale flesh? Evidently they have found a way.
The morality, and legality, of whaling should not depend of the size of the whaler’s ship or the sophistication of the weapon used. Whaling is either acceptable or not, make the decision and remain consistent.
yojoe out
Filed under: Animal Rights, Business, Environment, Food, Greenpeace, Political Commentary, Politics, Science | Tagged: alaska, barrow, barrow alaska, bowhead whale, killing whales
All I know is that in the first picture, that whale looks delicious.
I lived with the Inupiaq people of the North Slope of Alaska for almost a year. Most of the people up there keep their culture alive through the methods that have helped them survive for thousands of years. As a new teacher to the North Slope we were shown videos about the hunting traditions, specifically the whale hunting. They speak about a whale offering itself to the hunters. They do not take more than they can use either. In Barrow, Alaska the whale meat is not just for their community. I was stationed in a town that was 250 miles southeast of Barrow. Some of the Inupiaq there traded caribou for whale meat. This gave them a more diverse food intake during the long winter. Some of these people would not have survived the long winter without the food. The cultural significance of the hunting and sharing is what makes these people who they are. Americans already took so much away from them through sickness and religion. They are peaceful people that want to remember the ways of their ancestors. Leave them alone.
Serena – Thank you for sharing your experience. But you miss the point. If the whales are endangered, it does not matter why they are killed or how important this is to a culture. If the animal is endangered, it is endangered. This classification does not depend on who wants to kill the animal. The fact that the Inuit do not take more than they can use, is noble and interesting, but does not protect the animal from death. As for the food argument, it does not hold water. How do the non-Inuit people of Barrow, AK. survive? And, why not apply your argument to the people of Japan?
yojoe
I have lived in Barrow for years, and I am not of Inupiat descent. I agree with Serena. People have hunted this animal for centuries. The entire culture, whose language is slowly being lost, and who struggles to keep culture alive and families together to experience a dying heritage, is dependent upon the whale. Most families eat muktuk year round and it supplies many dietary needs such as vitamin C and warmth from the extreme cold. The human body works harder to digest muktuk, so it raises the body’s temperature.
Taking the whales away would kill this community. All their history, tradition, close connection with their families, sense of working together as a community, songs, quality of life would be sucked out of them. I can honestly say that they would have nothing. Many would feel despair and have the sense that there would be nothing left to live for. So you tell me what is more important, the preservation of animals or the preservation of people? It is a sad day for this generation to say that animals lives are more valuable than the people they sustain.
Yes, many of us non-Inupiats eat muktuk, too. Gatherings occur during the whaling season to publicly thank the Lord for the harvest, and portions are shared with EVERYONE in the community, without discriminating. I feel sad and angry that those who have no idea what living in the Arctic is like want to have a say how things are done here.
Stay in your comfy homes, drive your sassy sports cars, compare your designer clothes, put down the little man while your at it, and keep up with the Jones’s. Shop at whatever store you like, eat fruits and veggies that are not on their way out, eat a box of cereal that doesn’t cost you $10, go to your pharmacy and have unlimited choices in medicines, full and quality healthcare, eating your fast food choices from fast food restaurants, being glad it isn’t you who suffers the extreme sting of winter 60, 70, 80 degrees below zero while it lasts, comfortable without polar bears a short distance from your town, and continue to complain about the way of life thousands of miles away.
To me, people have far more value than animals. I pray you understand one day.
imagine doing this to your children, family, relative and love ones.
are we still human?
WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE
My husband is Inupiaq as are my children. We live a partialy subsistance life style because of the prices of EVERYTHING up here. For those of you whom believe the Bowhead whales are being endangered by the Inupiaq way of life, read “Conversations with Harry Brower Sr.” and research the Internation Whaling Commision.
Further more, are we harming the feelings of lettuce also? Maybe we should quit eating everything that is living because it will suffer.
My husband is a whaling Co-Captain and when he shoots the whale that is giving its life for our family, he tries his best to only have to shoot once. We do not waste ANYTHING! Everything from the whale is eaten or used for artwork, or put at the Point of Barrow for the ENDAGERED Polar Bears to eat.
God Bless you all the wish we would stop!
emily u r crazy wat u just said tells me u hate animals cause ur leting them be grusomly slautered if u think its worth killing animals 2 keep ur physco culture alive then fine but i hope u come back as a whale and r killed so u can feel the pain and torture theese poor animals go through just think about it wat if u were the whale do u think its fair that ur being grousemley slaughtered so some idiots can kill u off!!! when u agree to this stuff ur agreing to murder so ur pretty much a killer by suporting this and those people can live without whale!!! and u now animals have rights 2 just because they cant speek doesnt mean they r different they feel pain!!! so all i can say is that ur a killer i hope u wont beable to sleep tonight!!!
YOU ARE SO SICK I CAN NOT BELIVE YOU DO THAT TO THESE WHALES HOW DARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF I CAME AND FIRST CHASED YOU GOING IN FRONT OF MY BOAT AND THEN STUCK A HARPOON IN YOU!
They still look delicious. I wonder if Whales make good jerkey?
I would like to see how long you people, who are so against the killing of whales, lasted in an arctic winter with nothing to eat. I’m sure your attitudes would change rather quickly in the face of starvation and hypothermia.
There is a huge difference between subsistence hunting and hunting for commercial gain. Of course it makes no difference to the whale who kills it but it makes a difference to the numbers killed and philosophy behind it. The numbers of bowhead whales are increasing. The subsitance hunting carried out by people who have hunted these whales for centuries and use every part of the whale, every last scrap, does not endanger the species anything like as much as the automated multi-killing of whatles performed by large companies. When it comes to who has more riights – humans or whales, I’m not sure I’d like to say, even though I’m typing this as a human, not from the depths of the blue. But if the relationship between the two species is sustainable (and allows the number of whales to return again to its natural level) then I believe the humans should be allowed to hunt – for no more than they need (which is how they have always hunted) – they are a people who waste nothing, who value everything they take, who respect the environment from which they take it – and that is why they are so different from commercial whaling fleets and why it is ok to apply different laws.
they are not hunting whales because they have no food in the arctic, no one told them to go their in the first place. the reason why they are there and hunting whales is because they sell the whales in japanese fish markets. this is un humane and a disgusting act of cruelty and anyone who thinks otherwise has serios problems.
Anonymous – You are correct. Killing whales is not necessary for food. As previously stated, there are a number of non-Inuits living in Alaska who seem to survive without whale meat.
The Bowhead Whale ……Whales of Arctic and Subarctic waters….poplation left…maby 10,000…status VULNERABLE!!!! Eat any thing else…If they’ve got half a brain.Because of their slow swimming speed and bulky,blubber-rich body,Bowheads were,along with other large Right whale,favoured species for hunting. They were nearly EXTINCT!!!!!!! Carry on..why worry,one of these days there will be nothing left in this blue planet. and u know what…humans can eat anything els. dont give me that bull ,,,shame ..my fammily cant live..bla bla. I’ve got a saying..IF U CAN’T KILL ANY ANIMAL WITH YOUR BARE HANDS..U DONT DESERVE TO EAT IT. Come ..pissy asses,jump in the water and try and kill one of the largest animal on earth.
Save the Bowhead… FOR DINNER!
wahle hunting should be banned from the world
seeing this makes u wanna cry
the japanesse are awful ppl
wat are u gonna do when u dumbasses kill all the damn whales hunh watch gonna eat then u basterds
people should stop killing the whales because they did not do eny they to the humands!!!
In my opinion Inuit should be alowed to hunt whales.
The living conditions are not so easy like in europe.
European commercial whaling in 18th and 19 century decimated the whale stocks so dramaticly. Not the Inuit. Why should they be punished for a thing they are not responsible?!!!
im a young whaler ,14, and am an inupiaq,proud of it, and iam part of a successful whaling crew. we use the whale as a food source n when we hunt it we try to make the kill as humane as possible. its part of our culture and tradition and i enjoy learning my inupiaq ways.
I hope all of you against the limited hunting of whales enjoyed your Thanksgiving turkeys, your trips to the Outback etc…. The word that describes you is hypocrites. We see you sneaking around the bbq’s for a rib. Look in the mirror and tell yourself it aint so!
Whales wouldn’t be endangered if we based our views on the “size of the whaler’s ship or the sophistication of the weapon used” to decide how much whaling can be permitted. The bottom line is: Whales are endangered due to commercial whaling, not the whaling by small indigenous groups.
YEEEEEEH indigenous people should be able to hunt whales for food supply
I am an Inupiaq Eskimo from Barrow, Alaska
and I totally and completely disagree with what most of you are saying about our “psycho” culture.
first of all, before you comment on a website that I’m sure many people from Barrow and people who support our culture are going to find you should at least be knowledgeable.
I hope every single person who said that negative things about whaling is a vegetarian or you’re a complete hypocrite.
Before Barrow was known as the northern most city in the united states and before the 1,000 white people came as shown in the 2000 census all we had was whales and other animals in the area. It’s a traditional practice in our culture. And if you went to Barrow and spoke to one of the 1,000 white people and you asked them if they have ever eaten maktak then they’d all probably say yes. If you asked a brave tourist who has come to Barrow in the Summer for our Nalukataq celebration then they would probably tell you that they’ve tried it along with seals, caribou, geese..etc. We don’t sell what we catch, we share it. Every inch of the whale that can be used, is.
The ONLY reason our culture has survived this long is because we hunted whales.
I am very proud of my culture
i agree with robyn, being from Barrow, and what she’s saying is right.
I really do think that all of u are missing the point. Not really one of u are making a difference on this hole delima. I can truly recall one that really went out of her way to trow down some facts on the table . I just want to than Nerize Venter for her PASSION and guts to support this whaling epidemic, and in the second breath want to thank Nerize Venter,she’s not only the one with the passion but one of Greenpeace members(google the name) STRUGELING to open the eyes of humans stuck in there own selfcenterd lifestyles but someone that walking around with open eyes and and a passionate sole trying to make a difference in the world. Nerize,my dear,your heart is set on the right path and what ever may come your way,don’t ever stop fighting for these incredible creatures of the ocean.
Alliston
WWRG BLEU PROJECTS
As someone from “the city” who has never tried whale meat, I hope all the lovely people in Barrow Alaska go on about their lives and ignore the ignorant comments posted above.
In response to the original post and the respondents who suddenly think the Japanese and Native peoples of Alaska are barbaric, who are you to judge? Get off your high horse and GO SEE for yourself how these people live and what it truly means to them. The narrow-mindedness of your whale-loving comments, while childlike and endearing, is truly a reflection of your ignorance of other cultures and your inability to see through media and cultural biases.
Next time you take a big juicy bite into that cheese burger ask yourself how that cow was killed. I myself love cheese burgers, but will be the first to admit that it suffered a sad cruel life of early separation from its mother, a life long diet of hormones, and an early brutal death before ending up on my dinner plate.
At least the whales live free.
i think that killing our whales is horrible. you are horrible people for doing what your doing and i hope you all get whats coming to you!!!
There must be distinction made between commercial and aboriginal whale hunting…I absolutely 100% detest commercial whale hunting, it has no place in the modern world and any defence of it boils down to th ‘We do it because we like it’ philosphy. People in Japan do not need to eat whale meet…this applies to people in Iceland and Norway . I cannot see any valid excuse for wiping out different species of whales (some of which we no very little about in regards to breeding habbits, numbers etc) because you like the taste of Whale meat. It has to stop!
People who hunt small numbers of whales and use every part of the animal definetely fall under a different bracket and actaully need the whale to be sustained in the environement,,,if the Whales are all slaughtered, the japanese will just eat something else, some of these inuit cultures will suffer very badly indeed.
In short you cannot speak of the two groups in the same breath. Killing Whales to me is something I could never accept, however I certainly would not abuse the needs of a miniscule group who will make little impact on populations…I suggest people spend more time venting their rage on the 1st world countries who kill whales for the age old disgusting reason of money.
all i know is that if a bunch of tribal people want to go and stab a whale from their canoe its perfectly fair. Japanese whalers kill for science and commercial food. if you want to eat whale go catch it yourself which is what the people in alaska are doing.
I don’t understand why don’t the north slopes people move south? how about the lower 48?
If you like snow and solitude – move to North Dakota or upper Minnesota. Trust me it feels like Alaska, only with food options. And you don’t have to kill endangered species for food. Your kids can go to better schools, and you can have better heathcare facilities.
I just don’t get it what you people are doing up there. Is there something going up there that I don’t know? My first thought was that maybe you have nude beaches up there – but with that kind of weather I really doubt it. I’m pretty sure pot is not legal either. So what’s holding you back?
To all of you that are whale hunters…. I am not against you. I am against the whalers such as those that Sea Sheapard hunts…..
I have learned that those who do this in Alaska do not waste the whale… That eat, they share, they only take as many whales as they need in order to do this.
I have also learned that they waste NOTHING. The strip the whales down to the bone and then they even use that if they can.
Who are we to say that this is wrong? I eat cows. My family hunts deer and turkeys and hogs…. is that wrong?
Regardless of the level of of endangerment, taking the life of any living creature should always carry with it certain consequences. For the taker, much of it has to do with the emotional consequences of having to take the life of a living being; to acknowledge that it is not for wanton, and never should be in excess.
Most people who do not live a nomadic life, however, have not had the experience of killing an animal with their bare hands, and are missing that emotional quality of taking life for the sustenance thereof. Those who advocate only the preservation of an endangered species should consider whether they could stand the emotional consequences of slaughtering an animal themselves, instead of having others do it for them cold-heartedly in commercial slaughterhouses from which they purchase their finely packaged grocery meat.
Either live consistently for the killing of animals, or against it. I chose the latter. =)
see you people are seriously retarted. if it were up to me i would hunt down ALL of the whales for sport. forget you people who wanna “save whales lives”
spencer you a the retarted one what would you di if sombody hunted spencers for sports? u #@%*ING &*%$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i thinkthat whales are cool but what do i know i just read the thing. im not that smart.
i think this is good people should so this more often….. hahahahahahaha
mmmh… balena
I think the japanese are very cruel to do these things. just because of money the go around killing whales. What if someone killed humans for a living? Wouldn’t hurt? They should think more about the things they are doing, like killing whales-which are close to gone -.-
theres a huge difference between hunting for survival and hunting just so u can kill them and earn money. Japanese hunt non stop for whales, many japanese still dont agree, they should take what they need, enough to sell, not over enough. It’s ok if you hunt for survival, thats different, u need to hunt to survive, but you dont need to take over enough. Think about it, if you finish hunting them all now, you will not have it ever again….wouldn’t that be harder to survive in alaska? I know that people in alaska take what they need but the japanese take over what is needed…..how would you feel if you were a whale and evryone in ur family dissapears and you were killed by getting 2 gun shots in ur head? HOW WOULD THAT FEEL? OR HOW WOULD U FEEL IF YOU SAW UR OWN CHILD/PARENT GETTING SLAUGHTERD WITH KNIFES AND WEAPONS? HOW ABOUT SEEING UR FAMILY MEMBERS DIE?
Amy,
The people of Alaska are not hunting for survival. They are Americans. No Americans are starving. They could live just fine without killing whales. So, there is no difference between people in Alaska and the Japanese. Either killing whales is wrong or it is permissible.
And how does your argument work with the “how would you feel.” If I were a whale I would not want to be killed, and it would not matter if the person killing me was killing me for survival or for profit. Either way I am dead.
Here is a question for you: How would you feel if you were an AIDS virus and you came home and all of your family members were being killed?
Save the Bowhead why kill off the oldest living mammal and the japs are liers….