Land of the Free – Why not ‘Sea of the Free?'

Abstract

Commercial whaling has become an increasing problem in countries such as Norway, Iceland, and Japan. Since the placement of the moratorium by the International Whaling Commission in 1986, countries have been required to halt whaling with few legal exceptions. For various traditional and economic reasons, however, whalers have been able to use these loopholes as a means of continuing whaling at alarming rates. The whaling industry, as a whole, has been declining recently, and yet, these nations continue to do a disservice to the whales. Since the whaling industry is declining anyway, how can whalers be convinced to stop killing whales? How are whales an important part of the ocean’s ecosystem and national economies, and what benefits would arise if whaling came to a halt, allowing whales to live freely in the oceans?