Why Is Whaling Wrong

Whaling has been a controversial issue around the world for centuries. . The hunting of whales has been going on since the prehistoric times, but the controversy of whether it is right or wrong didn’t begin until about one hundred years ago (Wesolowski ). It has turned into an ethical debate about whether or not it is right. While some people around the world see the hunting of whales as immoral, there are countries and cultures view it the same as hunting any other animal and being an important part of their cultures. Each group backs their arguments up with their own ethical beliefs which makes it difficult to decide what truly the right way is. The arguments against whaling are set on the premises that is morally wrong. Whales have been seen to show human like
“The promotion of the whale as conservation symbols to be protected at all cost has ignored the cultural values of those communities that have historically harvested whales” (Comstock 2010). Different governments around the world see whaling as no different as hunting a deer or fishing and it is an important part of their cultures. (Wesolowski). It can be argued that the right of culture is recognized by international law, which by that would allow these cultures to continue what they are doing. Norway and Japan have felt that their cultural rights have been dismissed and that countries protesting whaling are akin to “cultural imperialism” (Gillespie 1997). In Japan the use of whale meat and blubber is important in multiple cultural events (Comstock 2010). On top of it being a cultural significance it is also important to the survival of coastal communities. Countries like Japan, Norway and Iceland have for centuries got most of their dietary protein from marine fishing (Comstock 2010). It is harder for these countries to derive their dietary needs anywhere