If you are a whale, this week is not your week. When I say whale, I mean an actual whale. Think humpback whales, fin whales, bowhead whales, sei whales, blue whales, gray whales, bottlenose whales, beaked whales, sperm whales, and so forth. I am talking about these types of whales.
I’m not talking about obese people which have been nicknamed as “whales.” I’m not talking about the very rich people that gamble their money in Las Vegas, either. I am strictly talking about whales that inhabit our oceans and seas.
For the whole week, the International Whaling Commission had met in Santiago, Chile. The main issue at this week long meeting amongst IWC member states would be the issue of whaling. The most known whaler is the nation of Japan.
Ever since 1986, there has been a ban on commercial whaling. However, Japan continues whaling for “scientific purposes.” Anti-whaling activists called it a loophole to keep Japan’s whaling industry alive.
At the meeting, there was no progress made. Overall, Japan could not be stopped from its whaling. Only a few days ago, Japan had threatened to resume whaling for commercial purposes again.
This is good for Japan.
But, this is bad for both whales and anti-whaling activists. It was also a loss for Australia, which has been a strong opponent of whaling.
While the focus has been on Japan, there has been less focus on Norway and Iceland. Norway and Iceland do go whaling for commercial purposes. Japan does go whaling each year for “scientific purposes.”
January of this year, Japan started its whaling expeditions to capture 1,000 whales. The trip would last until this April. However, the interference from anti-whaling activists such as Greenpeace had cut the trip short.
There is also a sheer irony in place. While there is a ban on commercial whaling, the ban is nonbinding.
But there is one question that needs to be asked: What is the purpose of a ban if it is nonbinding?!
If a ban is nonbinding, doesn’t it defeat the whole purpose for it in the first place?!