Whale Hunt.Bagging a whale might not be your idea of a big splash Big Splash could refer to:
Whaling whaling, the hunting of whales for the oil that can be rendered from their flesh, for meat, and for baleen (whalebone). Historically, whale oil was economically the most important. Early Whaling Whaling for subsistence dates to prehistoric times. has been central to the tribe's culture for centuries. But in 1937, the U.S. banned all hunting of gray whales, since commercial whaling had practically killed off the entire population. In 1972, the U.S. officially listed the gray whale as endangered en·dan·ger tr.v. en·dan·gered, en·dan·ger·ing, en·dan·gers 1. To expose to harm or danger; imperil. 2. To threaten with extinction. , and in 1986 the International Whaling Commission International Whaling Commission (IWC) An intergovernmental organization created in 1946 to control the rapid escalation of whaling. The original purpose of the IWC was to preserve whale stocks for commercial whalers. (IWC IWC International Whaling Commission IWC Industrial Welfare Commission IWC Iowa Wesleyan College IWC International Watch Company (Swiss watch manufacturer) IWC Ice Water Content IWC In Which Case IWC Indianapolis Water Company ) imposed a global whaling ban on hunting all whales. Five years ago, the gray whale came off the endangered list--about 22,000 gray whales now roam the Pacific. The Makah lobbied the IWC in 1997 to legally hunt gray whales. They believe resurrecting their whaling tradition would revive the tribe's sagging spirit. The IWC granted the Makah tribe license to hunt a total of 20 whales through 2004. But with the Makah's recent success, Japan and Norway are demanding equal rights. They want the IWC to ease its global whaling ban. Many whale species Whales are from the order Cetacea, which also includes the dolphins and porpoises. The order contains two sub-orders, Mysticeti and Odontoceti, over which the whale species are spread. have made a huge comeback since the ban, they argue. For example, minke whales now number about 1 million. The U.S. and other IWC member nations insist commercial whaling could once again lead to threatened whale populations. Early this summer, the IWC upheld the whaling ban. * What do you think? Is it fair that the Makah are allowed to hunt whales, while Japan and other countries are not? Should commercial whaling resume? Why or why not? |
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