What Is Whaling?

The Blinding Color of Blood: The constraints of Geography
The modern whaling debate is in no doubt a strenuous one. Whaling in itself has been around since as far back as 6000BC and countries such as Japan and Norway have developed into nations which revolve around a market for such cetaceans as whales and dolphins. In fact, in Taiji, a small town on the southern shores of Japan, over thirty percent of their annual economy is generated from a market oriented around whales and dolphins (Hanlon, The Whaling Debate Intensifies). However, the idea of whaling can be seen as immoral to the rest of the world as it involves the death of cetaceans, such as whales, people have grown to love. This being said, whaling is an issue involving many different
Geography influences the distribution of natural and man-made resources across the globe. In summary, it is the natural wealth of a region that owes its existence to the region’s geographical conditions. With widespread hills and a rocky landscape, Taiji’s arduous region makes it near impossible, much less inefficient to cultivate rice fields as most of Japan does, as well as raise Western amenities such as cows and chickens. Thus, it is only natural for Taiji to produce an economy which revolves around their most ubiquitous resource: the ocean, and in turn, whales. In saying this, the geographical location of a region influences its climate and terrain, which in turn influences the type of agriculture that can thrive in that region. Why does oil come from Saudi Arabia? Why are China and India the largest producers of rice? Why do camels populate the African terrains and polar bears inhabit the Arctic? It is all because of the diverse geographical conditions of the world; and in Taiji, the unique geographical region indicates ocean life to be the natural wealth of the community. This very geography sets the context of the whaling issue in Taiji and by understanding the unique natural features of Taiji, the agriculture, economy and the culture of the town can be
From cooked snail “Escargot” in France to deep-fried bull testicle “Mountain Oysters” in Canada, a region’s cultural diet is a many. Taiji’s escargot is whale meat. Eating whale meat has long been a part of Taiji and has become a customary dish for citizens young and old. With a centuries-old tradition of consuming whales, can a custom so deep-rooted simply be told to stop? The community of Taiji has grown to cherish whale meat and to object this dietary practice is to reject the Taiji culture. When asked about the consumption of whale meat, one local Taiji resident replied, "Some foreigners criticize us, but whale and dolphin (to us) are like beef and chicken for them. It 's just our culture." (Matsutani). This quote certainly carries some weight in that the comparison is rational. Surely Taiji is not the only place where animals are harvested for consumption. In fact, in the United States alone, over 120 million pigs are killed annually for human consumption. That is an average of 320,000 pigs killed daily (Organic Consumers Association). In the context of morality, can the United States be challenged for the mass killings of pigs? Although this cannot be said for certain, what can be noted is that different nations and communities have different methods of sustenance, all derived from their respective cultures. Take for instance, the much practiced American tradition of Thanksgiving: a harvest festival which