If I had one year to learn more about a topic of my choice, I would study about the Japanese whaling industry. Although whale hunting in Japan began in the 12th century, Japan’s involvement in the whaling industry began in the 1890s. The international whaling industry functioned normally until 1925 when the League of Nations called for conservation measures in 1925. This eventually led to the Geneva Convention for the Regulation of Whaling in 1931, which was ignored by Japan and Germany. Instead, as whale catches diminished in coastal waters, Japanese whale hunters looked to Antarctica. This started with the Japanese company Toyo Hogei K.K. purchasing the Norwegian ship Antarctic, renaming it the Tonan Maru.
However, World War II soon followed, and the Japanese whaling industry was reduced to familiar hunting grounds. Whaling was halted in Japan in March 1945 when the Japanese islands were taken by US forces. By November 1945, Japanese whaling stations reopened; however, most whaling ships had been commandeered by the Japanese navy, thus crushing the Japanese whaling industry. The U.S. continued to encourage Japan to continue whaling in order to provide a cheap source of meat. Eventually, the Japanese whaling industry recovered as Japanese whale hunters went back to Antarctica.
During the recovery period, Australian Kenneth Coonan criticized Lieutenant David McCracken, the naval officer who oversaw the first post-war whaling expedition, after observing waste being dumped over the side of a whaling ship when the fleet killed whales at a faster rate than they were processed. This expedition was the first of many for McCracken, who eventually detailed his journeys in the book Four Months on a Jap Whaler.
After the International C...
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...to Japan’s influence on other International Whaling Conference Nations. In 1982, the International Whaling Commission passed a moratorium that went into effect in 1986. Japan objected to this moratorium and continued whaling. In 2009, Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party lost after 50 years in power to the Democratic Party of Japan. While environmentalists hoped that this would cause a change in Japan’s attitude toward whaling, the new government said that whaling would continue to receive support as a matter of policy. Japan has continued whale hunting despite numerous calls to stop doing so.
If I were to investigate this issue, I would speak to Japanese officials regarding their reasons to continue whaling. I would also interview officials from anti-whaling nations, asking them for their side of the story. This is how I would investigate the Japanese whaling industry.
The Japanese government believed that the only way to solve its economic and demographic problems was to expand into its neighbor’s territory and take over its import market, mostly pointed at China. To put an end on that the United States put economic sanctions and trade embargoes. We believed that if we cut off their resources and their source of federal income than they would have no choice but to pull back and surrender. But the
In the early 1800’s, Japan had blocked off all trade from other countries. Foreign whaling ships could not even reload or repair their ships in Japan territory. This offended many other countries. In 1852, Matthew Perry was sent to Japan to negotiate open trade. Japan felt threatened by the United States, and gave in to their demands. Japan was frightened by their stipulations, and immediately began to reform. They developed a new education system that was similar to America and Europe’s. They also developed a Western style judiciary system.
Family therapy is often needed when families go through transitions such as separations between parents and divorce. According to research, “the power of family therapy derives from bringing parents and children together to transform their interactions” (Nichols, & Davis, p.18), as problems need to be addressed at their source. The children who are the most vulnerable, when parents decide to separate, exhibit symptoms which are exaggerations of their parent’s problems (Nichols, & Davis, p.18). Frank and Walt Berkman are the examples of how children cope and adapt to the stressors of family separations such as marital separations and
The most effective piece of this documentary, however, was neither the structure of the film nor the specific questions that one is forced to answer regarding the ethical treatment of these killer whales, but the overall questions of whether or not these corporations should be allowed to continue their cycle of abuse toward the animals and whether or not we, as patrons, should encourage their behavior by giving them a monetary profit every day, every month, and every year. Ignorance is forgivable, but with the knowledge given in this documentary: the final two questions raised should be able to answer themselves.
... Documentaries such as Awards winning The Cove and Blackfish have been drawing a lot of attention to cetaceans in captivity. More documentaries should be made and broadcasted regarding this topic so that more people will get to know about this issue. Environmental groups can also make it more accessible for people to join and help in bring this message worldwide. Education could be also useful in teaching the young about animals in the wild and instead of bringing them to the marine parks, bring them to whale watching. This way they can learn about them living in the wild and not seeing a whale swimming rounds in a tank. People should be encouraged to visit whales in the wild and not in marine parks performing tricks. Through help from environmental groups, the government, schools and individuals, the killer whales will get to return to the wild, where they belong.
“… building a tank the size of Rhode Island wouldn’t be large enough for a six-ton male killer whale such as Tilikum, an animal capable of swimming 100 miles a day,” states an anonymous whale expert. Whales have been in captivity since 1861 when P.T. Barnum displayed the first live whale that was captured in Canada. However, Barnum had no idea how to care for the mammal and it died after only a week in captivity. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Being up close with killer whales could give us some clues about how they interact with each other, including physical behavior, their dialect, and how their pods work together as a family unit. However, what we are finding is that whales who belong in the wild are suffering in captivity. Killer whales have no record of ever harming a human being in the wild. In captivity, there have been many incidents of killer whales harming or even killing their trainers. What would cause them to do this in captivity, but not in the wild? They have been known to resort to aggression toward themselves and each other, in what scientist believe to be a stress induced behavior. (Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2014) Evidence against having these wild animals in captivity is increasing and we need reevaluate the value of capturing and holding killer whales for our educational purposes, enjoyment, and profit.
Charles D’Ambrosio’s “Whaling Out West” was the best of the reading in drawing the distinction between the story and the situation. His ability to describe the situation of the conflict over whaling by native peoples to convey the story of his inner struggle over his decision to not procreate was immensely admirable. The excerpt from David Foster Wallace’s “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again” was another readings which excellently illustrated this point. His criticism of the cruise ship industry and of American culture more generally is ever present with his growing feelings of despair. This was my favorite essay of the semester. I imagine this will not an unpopular opinion in these reflections. The selection from A
Japan has moved on since then. They now have become one of the world's wealthiest countries and one of the United States' most powerful allies. Although Japan was hurting for a while, they overcame their struggles which is testament to how strong the people of Japan are, just ask Tamiko Tamonaga and Sachie Tashima. Word Count: 888
The book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, is an inspiring story about an Essex from Nantucket, getting attacked by a eighty-five ton sperm whale miles deep out in the ocean. In these times, going on any ocean expedition had its precautions. While much focus on food, drinking water, medication and a method to cure illness, the most overlooked impairment was the creatures of the ocean. While the men of this vessel left the docks as predators, the survivors of the ninety- three-day journey on three small harpoon boats came back as prey. This story gives a great depiction of the potential of the sperm whale as well as the devastation that they can bring.
... killer whales. Along with that kids will be better off seeing healthy whales in their natural environment and Scientist will have accurate information studying killer whales in the wild.
The Cove is a film of activism, a film meant to move the hearts of individuals who love and support the rights of mammalian sea-dwellers like that of whales, porpoises, and most importantly dolphins. Produced in 2009 by the Oceanic Preservation Society it offers a unique perspective, when compared with other activist documentaries. In The Cove the producer and co-founder of the Oceanic Preservation Society was actually personally involved in the filming efforts and worked directly with dolphin trainer Richard O’Barry in drawing light on the events occurring in a private cove in the city of Taiji, Japan. The documentary is, of course, very biased towards the topic, with obvious pro-animal rights leanings supported indirectly with a strong utilitarian basis. When analyzing documentaries such as this it is vitally important to take as objective a perspective as possible, though humanity tends to be innately prone to bias, and scrutinize through perspectives that have established ethical guidelines.
These villages are still able to fish for food and trade materials. I am skeptical of arguments that small villages rely on whale meat for food because until relatively recently, the meat would spoil too quickly. Even today most countries, except for Japan, avoid whale meat. Advancements in the 19th and 20th centuries have rendered most of the products created by whales obsolete, such as petroleum, vegetable oil, steel-boned corsets and gas lamps (Encyclopedia Britannica,
The quest to gain international agreement on ethical and legal norms for regulation of whaling has had a long and troubled history. The modern phase of global concern over whaling ethics and conservationist management originated in 1946, when the International Convention on Regulation of Whaling was signed. Thus the International Whaling Commission was created. The International Whaling Commission was designed to control and mandate the whaling industry. From it’s beginning as simply a whalers club with scientific guidance, to the current day conservationist body; the IWC has undergone many revisions and transformations since the start. In 1982 the IWC voted to implement a “pause” on commercial whaling (which is still in effect today). Which major whaling nations, Japan, Norway, Peru, and the Soviet Union (later replaced by Russia) lodged formal objections, due to the fact that the moratorium was not based on advice from the Scientific Committee. One major disappointment of this regulation was due the fact that the moratorium only applies to commercial whaling. Thus, whaling under scientific-research and aboriginal-subsistence is still allowed. Japan and other countries have continued their hunt in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary under the “scientific research” loophole. However, environmental activist groups openly dispute the claims and continue their rally to end the whaling industry for good.
Francis, David R. “Communities of Killer Whales.” The Christian Science Monitor. National Newspapers Core, 15
For almost 400 years, whales have been chased to near extinction. Vessels have travelled the globe to find and extract precious oil and gather whale meat to eat. This has resulted in over 10,000 whales being executed since the moratorium in 1986. A moratorium is a delay or suspension of an activity or a law and in this case a suspension of whaling. Also a ...