The Norwegian Whalers
Written by Wildlife & Welfare Researcher Rose Little
As part of our June edition of the Wildlife Calendar we have been focussing on endangered species in Norway. One group of species that frequent the waters of Norway are whales and this blog explores the often passionate debate on whaling.
It is an old tradition for many countries including Japan, Iceland and Norway to hunt whales for their meat and blubber. Whale oils, derived from the blubber, was an important type of oil used throughout the Industrial Revolution. The use of whale oil has been recorded as early as 875 AD. As we have developed vegetable oils, petroleum and many other products to replace whale oil, it comes into question why we are still hunting whales? We also now know more about the important role whales play in the marine ecosystem and so is it right that we are still removing vast numbers of whales each year?
By the second half of the 19th century whalers had the ability to kill huge numbers of whales after developing new technologies including exploding harpoon cannons and ‘factory ships’ for processing whales at sea. After decimating blue whale and fin whale populations, many whalers in Norway turned their attention to killing whales in other regions, including Iceland, Scotland, the Faroe Island and even as far away as Newfoundland, southern Africa and Antarctica. By the mid 1930s Norway dominated the global whaling industry, responsible for over half the whale killings and producing the majority of the world’s whale oil.
Most whale species have a gestation period of one year giving birth to a single calf. In most species, a female may bear a calf every two to four years. Alongside this low reproductive capacity and improved technologies to hunt and kill whales, the whale populations have been declining rapidly. In 1982, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) issued a worldwide moratorium, ban, on commercial whaling which came into effect in 1986 in an attempt to allow whale populations to recover.
Many countries including Norway have reintroduced whaling in the last 20 years.
The Norwegian whaling community claims that whaling is sustainable and legal and continues to hunt whales despite the falling demand for whale meat. Some whale species still desperately need protection while others are abundant. Minke whales are not endangered in Norway and so the hunt is a traditional, small-scale coastal activity. There is an estimated population of 100,000 minke whales in Norwegian waters, but this is on the decline. Greater research needs to be conducted for a clearer picture into their migrations and lives. Like many other marine mammals, the minke whales are threatened by the cumulative impact of human activities such as chemical and noise pollution, ship collisions, climate change and entanglement in fishing gear. Whales and dolphins are vulnerable to the harmful effects of environmental contaminants and in 2015 Japan returned a shipment of Norwegian minke whale meat after tests showed it contained unsafe levels of aldrin, dieldrin and chlordane, three banned pesticides.
Annual quotas are set by the Scientific Committee of the IWC which have not been met by the Norwegian whaling community since 2000-2019. This brings into question why the quota is set so high when it has thankfully never been fulfilled? The answer partly lies with the Norwegian government’s stance towards whaling and their ambition to increase domestic demand for whale meat and exportation to Japan, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The government promotes whale meat in many schools and during festivals where whale meat burgers are often on sale. Tourists often do not think about the impact of whaling when they visit Norway and want to enjoy the local cuisine.
Minke Whale. Image: © 7SeasWhaleWatch
Minke whales are hunted between April and September by vessels between 40 and 80 feet with a crew of 4 to 8 people. All vessels are required to mount a tachograph (“blue box”) surveillance system which registers all hunting activity. The hunting occurs in the economic zone and the zone around Svalbard, Jan Mayen and in international waters. Most hunts are highly reliant on state subsidies and the government constantly searches for new markets to exploit.
Many whalers believe that whale meat is an environmentally friendly alternative to climate-damaging, methane-producing industries such as the beef and dairy industry. This argument fails to recognise the importance of whales in the ocean ecosystem. Whale faeces stimulate the growth of plankton which absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Plankton also are an important food source for small marine animals and fish. When a whale dies naturally, the carcass sinks to the ocean floor, known as ‘whale fall’, this safely sequesters many tonnes of carbon for thousands of years. Pro-whalers believe that whaling is no more cruel than killing cows and pigs or shooting wild animals such as deer and partridge for food. However, slaughterhouses have strict regulations where animals are often stunned before slaughter and the time to death rate is considerably lower than that of a hunted whale.
Between 2000-2015 68% of minke whales killed by Norwegian whalers were female and 40% of these were pregnant.
Unfortunately, pregnant females are often targeted by whalers due to them being slower and more likely to stay close to shore. This creates a double hit for the whale population as they are reducing the populations’ reproductive capabilities and genetic diversity.
For many years, animal welfare activists have protested the methods used to kill whales alongside the sheer volume of waste involved in hunts. Whales do not die instantly and often suffer for up to 25 minutes before being finished off with a rifle. Consumers are demanding only the leanest cuts of meat and so it is commonplace for whalers to remove these prime cuts and toss the rest of the whale carcass overboard, often in view of other boats or close to shore.
Despite being an ancient tradition in many cultures, whaling is often cruel and wasteful. Whales are slow to breed and play an essential role in maintaining a healthy marine ecosystem. We have to do all we can to save these magnificent mammals. If you are planning to visit a country in which whaling is legal, please do not support this industry through the purchase of whale meat or whale bone souvenirs.
If you would like to learn more about endangered species in Norway, please visit our Wildlife Calendar:
