TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

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A REVIEW OF THE WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF MODERN WHALING ACTIVITIES
possibility of establishing a similar body in the Pacific. To some extent it may appear that the
development of such bodies is a political ploy; a threat to the IWC if it does not develop in the
direction that the whalers desire. The question then arises as to how such bodies would take welfare
matters into account.
The face of whaling in the 21st Century is changing. There is already considerable ongoing whaling
activity occurring outside of the IWC and significant attempts to blur the distinction between
aboriginal and commercial hunts. New categories of whaling are evolving to fill the niche of
conventional commercial whaling. One such category is special permit whaling (see chapter 13). It is
also feared that a change in Japanese law to permit the commercial sale of whales caught in nets may
provide an incentive for fishermen (who have neither the training, nor the equipment), to kill rather
than release ‘bycaught cetaceans’. The consumption of whales caught in nets is permitted in other
countries conducting whaling (see chapter 6). Other technological changes may include the use of
noise to drive the animals 7 .
The products of bycaught whales and whales taken under special permit are sold commercially in
Japan, helping to stimulate the market for cetacean meat. This further promotes the market in
cetacean products, which is also filled by small cetacean hunts and further fuels the desire to trade
cetacean products internationally.
Welfare potential of whaling operations
A killing method that is truly painless and causes minimum distress to the animal can be classified as
‘humane slaughter’ and, therefore, a process with the potential for high welfare. From the analysis in
chapter 12, it is clear that there are a number of factors inherent in current whale killing methods
that mitigate against the potential for high welfare. These include the initial pursuit, and the
difficulties involved in hitting a distant, largely submerged, moving target from a moving platform at
sea. The killing methods themselves are often not well adapted for the species taken, or the variability
of size between individuals of the same species. The significance of these variables and the
inadequacies of the methods used are reflected in the poor instantaneous death rates, and average
times to death, and the need for secondary killing methods during all types of whaling operation.
In summary, when assessing the welfare potential of whale killing methods using accepted principles
of humane slaughter, it is clear that current whaling operations have a low welfare potential, and are
likely to cause pain and suffering in many hunted cetaceans.
Other mammal hunts
Whaling is sometimes compared to other mammal hunts and proponents of commercial whaling
may even suggest that whaling compares favourably with such other hunts. Comparisons of this
nature are highly contentious, inappropriate and outside of the scope of this book. However, two
things are noted: First, most whaling is unlike the majority of other mammal hunting because it is a
government-sanctioned and financially supported activity. Therefore, governments can be expected to
shoulder the responsibility for the associated welfare concerns.
Second, a culture of change can be identified in the hunting of some other mammals, whereby best
management practices (BMPs) are being adopted with the intent of giving attention to animal
welfare, safety for huntsmen, the public and other wild animals. These BMPs demonstrate that