12.07.2015 Views

TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

TROUBLED WATERS - Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

hunts. A rifle or darting gun is then used to dispatch the animal. The long times to death reported inthe Russian Federation’s gray whale hunts indicate a serious lack of efficiency in this method. Theaverage time to death for gray whales taken in 1999, 2000 <strong>and</strong> 2001 was 53 minutes with an averageof 47 bullets used per whale. In 1997, ten floats were required to secure a whale <strong>and</strong> then a metaltipped lance <strong>and</strong> 600 to 700 bullets to kill her (HSUS 1997). In a 1999 hunt, it took over threehours <strong>and</strong> 40 minutes <strong>and</strong> 180 bullets to kill a single gray whale.The data provided to the 2003 Workshop on <strong>Whale</strong> Killing Methods show the proportional use ofharpoons, darting guns <strong>and</strong> three models of rifles (including the semi-automatic ‘CKS’ which is thecivilian version of the SKS) by Russian whalers in 2002. Of 131 gray whales killed that year, theharpoon <strong>and</strong> rifle were used in every case <strong>and</strong> the darting gun was used on 71 per cent of the whales(an average of 2.7 darting gun projectiles was used on each whale). The CKS was used on 10 whales,but the number of rounds used on these occasions was not provided. Not one gray whale was killedinstantaneously by the harpoon in 2002 <strong>and</strong> all required the use of a secondary killing method. Themaximum estimated time to death was 56 minutes <strong>and</strong> the mean time to death was 32 minutes. Themaximum number of bullets used on a single whale was 100 <strong>and</strong> the median number, 52.46A REVIEW OF THE WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF MODERN WHALING ACTIVITIESIn response to a question at the 2003 workshop about the small calibre of the rifles <strong>and</strong> the adequacyof cartridges used in its gray whale hunt, the Russian Federation explained that hunters use whateverweapons are available <strong>and</strong> gave behavioural, as well as operational, reasons for the large number ofbullets <strong>and</strong> darting gun projectiles used, <strong>and</strong> for the long times to death. The Russian Federationdelegate explained that, because the gray whale is aggressive, hunters tend to ‘overuse’ bullets to makeabsolutely sure that the whale is actually dead, <strong>and</strong> overestimate the time to death to be sure that thewhale is not still moving before they approach it.The efficiency in the Russian hunt for bowhead whales is also of concern to the IWC. During 2002,two bowhead whales were l<strong>and</strong>ed <strong>and</strong> another was struck <strong>and</strong> lost. One whale was killed using aharpoon <strong>and</strong> darting gun <strong>and</strong> the other using a harpoon, darting gun <strong>and</strong> rifle. The number ofbullets used was not, however, reported. The maximum time to death was 53 minutes <strong>and</strong> the mean,41 minutes. In 2001, the Russian Federation provided different data, making a comparisonimpossible. It reported that six harpoons <strong>and</strong> floats <strong>and</strong> five darting gun projectiles were used on theone whale killed that year, but did not provide time to death data.US Alaskan bowhead <strong>and</strong> Makah gray whale huntThe Alaskan Inuit hunt for bowhead whales also employs a darting gun with black powder projectilewith 35-fathom line <strong>and</strong> floats attached, which is designed to mark the position of the whale <strong>and</strong>slow it down. The secondary killing method, which is used once the whale is secured, is eitheranother darting gun or a smooth bore, 7-gauge shoulder gun. Alaskan hunters have recently tested apenthrite grenade in the darting gun <strong>and</strong> reported to the IWC in 2003 that it appears to be moreeffective in producing a rapid death than the traditional black powder projectile.The US claims that hunting efficiency in the Alaskan Eskimo bowhead hunt has improved over thelast 20 years, although in 2001, only 36.7 per cent of whales were killed instantaneously <strong>and</strong> 26struck whales were lost. The US does not provide time to death data to the IWC, claiming that it istoo dangerous for hunters in a small boat to stay close to a whale following a strike. In 2003, the USreported that it has introduced a new reporting form on which hunters are to record ‘time to prayer’.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!