Should there be a total ban on whaling?

1. 79

   moiragallagaposted 14 years ago

   Should there be a total ban on whaling?

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2. 60

   Albert C Servinposted 14 years ago

   whaling and clubbing baby seals should undoubtedly be banned completely, the only reason people do it is for the money.

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3. 78

   Rob Wintersposted 14 years ago

   They're majestic and awe inspiring creatures and with many of the larger species of whales (in particular) being endangered i see no current justification for not doing so (banning whaling completely) if it would ensure their survival.I've seen them up close and personal on numerous occassions,out in the vast oceans they inhabit and it would be a tragedy to lose such creatures.Even if they weren't endangered it somehow seems/feels wrong to me to hunt such creatures.

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4. 39

   Borsiaposted 14 years ago

   Whales numbers are still low and there is nothing to be gained by whaling. Norway resumed commercial whaling in 2004.Japan and Iceland claims they do it for scientific research but the fact is they simply have never stopped commercial whaling. The whales they take are sold retail.
   There is some whaling done by various indigenous tribes in Canada and the US but the numbers they take are very small and they must only use traditional methods in canoes.
   
   There should be a complete ban on commercial whaling and there should be no loophole for supposed scientific study. There is no information that can't be gathered from observing live whales.
   There are some brave souls like Sea Shepard and Green Peace that try to hamper whaling fleets, especially the Japanese, but until they switch to torpedoes as their main deterrent they can do little.
   The US could do far more; such as putting a 30% tariff on ALL products imported from any whaling nation above any already existing taxes & tariffs.
   
   Of course there are many other fisheries that should be completely banned, at least commercially. Dolphins (porpoises) sharks, blue-fin tuna, swordfish and wild salmon to name a few should at least be prohibited until stocks can recover from overfishing.
   
   Many of the fishes we depend on are going extinct before our eyes and all the international community does is argue over who will get to catch the last ones.

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