TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
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46<br />
A REVIEW OF THE WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF MODERN WHALING ACTIVITIES<br />
hunts. A rifle or darting gun is then used to dispatch the animal. The long times to death reported in<br />
the Russian Federation’s gray whale hunts indicate a serious lack of efficiency in this method. The<br />
average time to death for gray whales taken in 1999, 2000 <strong>and</strong> 2001 was 53 minutes with an average<br />
of 47 bullets used per whale. In 1997, ten floats were required to secure a whale <strong>and</strong> then a metal<br />
tipped lance <strong>and</strong> 600 to 700 bullets to kill her (HSUS 1997). In a 1999 hunt, it took over three<br />
hours <strong>and</strong> 40 minutes <strong>and</strong> 180 bullets to kill a single gray whale.<br />
The data provided to the 2003 Workshop on <strong>Whale</strong> Killing Methods show the proportional use of<br />
harpoons, darting guns <strong>and</strong> three models of rifles (including the semi-automatic ‘CKS’ which is the<br />
civilian version of the SKS) by Russian whalers in 2002. Of 131 gray whales killed that year, the<br />
harpoon <strong>and</strong> rifle were used in every case <strong>and</strong> the darting gun was used on 71 per cent of the whales<br />
(an average of 2.7 darting gun projectiles was used on each whale). The CKS was used on 10 whales,<br />
but the number of rounds used on these occasions was not provided. Not one gray whale was killed<br />
instantaneously by the harpoon in 2002 <strong>and</strong> all required the use of a secondary killing method. The<br />
maximum estimated time to death was 56 minutes <strong>and</strong> the mean time to death was 32 minutes. The<br />
maximum number of bullets used on a single whale was 100 <strong>and</strong> the median number, 52.<br />
In response to a question at the 2003 workshop about the small calibre of the rifles <strong>and</strong> the adequacy<br />
of cartridges used in its gray whale hunt, the Russian Federation explained that hunters use whatever<br />
weapons are available <strong>and</strong> gave behavioural, as well as operational, reasons for the large number of<br />
bullets <strong>and</strong> darting gun projectiles used, <strong>and</strong> for the long times to death. The Russian Federation<br />
delegate explained that, because the gray whale is aggressive, hunters tend to ‘overuse’ bullets to make<br />
absolutely sure that the whale is actually dead, <strong>and</strong> overestimate the time to death to be sure that the<br />
whale is not still moving before they approach it.<br />
The efficiency in the Russian hunt for bowhead whales is also of concern to the IWC. During 2002,<br />
two bowhead whales were l<strong>and</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> another was struck <strong>and</strong> lost. One whale was killed using a<br />
harpoon <strong>and</strong> darting gun <strong>and</strong> the other using a harpoon, darting gun <strong>and</strong> rifle. The number of<br />
bullets used was not, however, reported. The maximum time to death was 53 minutes <strong>and</strong> the mean,<br />
41 minutes. In 2001, the Russian Federation provided different data, making a comparison<br />
impossible. It reported that six harpoons <strong>and</strong> floats <strong>and</strong> five darting gun projectiles were used on the<br />
one whale killed that year, but did not provide time to death data.<br />
US Alaskan bowhead <strong>and</strong> Makah gray whale hunt<br />
The Alaskan Inuit hunt for bowhead whales also employs a darting gun with black powder projectile<br />
with 35-fathom line <strong>and</strong> floats attached, which is designed to mark the position of the whale <strong>and</strong><br />
slow it down. The secondary killing method, which is used once the whale is secured, is either<br />
another darting gun or a smooth bore, 7-gauge shoulder gun. Alaskan hunters have recently tested a<br />
penthrite grenade in the darting gun <strong>and</strong> reported to the IWC in 2003 that it appears to be more<br />
effective in producing a rapid death than the traditional black powder projectile.<br />
The US claims that hunting efficiency in the Alaskan Eskimo bowhead hunt has improved over the<br />
last 20 years, although in 2001, only 36.7 per cent of whales were killed instantaneously <strong>and</strong> 26<br />
struck whales were lost. The US does not provide time to death data to the IWC, claiming that it is<br />
too dangerous for hunters in a small boat to stay close to a whale following a strike. In 2003, the US<br />
reported that it has introduced a new reporting form on which hunters are to record ‘time to prayer’.