In fact, the number of gray whales (deleted in 94 from the list of endangered animals) increased at such a sharp rate in the late 90s that hundreds of dead and starving whales began to wash up on beaches in the western United States. The most likely explanation for this is that there is not enough food for everyone.
by Nicholas Kristof
Whale watching tours have become a thriving $100 million industry in New England. It's easy to understand why: 12-meter-long fin whales roam around the boats and splash water with such grace that you want to reach out and hug them.
The whales are so beloved that in 2001 the authorities spent four months and $250 in an unsuccessful attempt to free a baleen whale named Churchill from the clutches of fishermen, and the heart of the entire nation skipped a beat a few weeks ago, when 55 pilot whales washed ashore, Near Harwichport. Almost no one questions the validity of the "save the whales" ethos, and the Norwegians and Japanese risk global ostracism because they continue to drool at the sight of a handsome and juicy whale.
But it's time to put the sentiments aside. The "Save the Whales" campaign, which came out against commercial whaling of any kind, was essential a few decades ago, after whaling fatally damaged all large species. Even today there are less than 10,000 giant whales worldwide, compared to 200 before they began to be hunted for commercial purposes, and the baleen whale is on the verge of extinction. But it also seems that the ban on commercial hunting imposed in '86 led to a considerable recovery in several species. The US National Marine Fisheries Service estimated in 2000 that there are more than two million cod in the world. The International Conference for the Limitation of Whaling calculated a few years ago that there are more than 900 minke whales and 780 pilot whales, and their number is greater today.
In fact, the number of gray whales (deleted in 94 from the list of endangered animals) increased at such a sharp rate in the late 90s that hundreds of dead and starving whales began to wash up on beaches in the western United States. The most likely explanation for this is that there is not enough food for everyone.
The bottom line is that while most large whales are still endangered, there are a few species that we have already managed to save. At a time when we are talking about overfishing, it is also worth noting that whales consume at least 300 million tons of marine creatures - three times more than humans.
Bruce Mate, an expert on whales, calls for the leadership of bold initiatives to protect threatened whales. But he also says that most biologists would not be concerned about the commercial hunting of the other thriving species, if hunting quotas were set at a level that would allow the populations to be maintained. "Populations that are in good health can handle hunting on a reasonable scale," said Mate. "The decision on this is a moral issue."
And here the dog is buried. It is no longer a question of "save the whales". The only argument left against commercial hunting of common species is that whales are such magnificent creatures that no one should be allowed to kill them.
But this is a dangerous claim. It would be culinary imperialism to tell Norwegians and Japanese that because we like whales, they shouldn't eat them. We can object to this, but what right do we have to forbid them from eating an animal that is not endangered, but just cute? So are the sheep and the deer.
There is logic in saving the whales that are on the verge of extinction. In fact, we must do more to help the humpback whale. But the time has come to allow hunting of certain species.
