In 1986, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) implemented a moratorium to stop commercial whaling. Many believe this would save the whales and forever end the industrial slaughter that has decimated the many different species. Being an animal lover and having just returned from Florida for over a year, I realized how beautiful and important the ocean and the animals that live there are. In Florida, I have seen many types of ocean species, but I have never seen a whale in real life. And it got me thinking. To what extent are these animals protected? I watched television programs showing entire fleets of ships, and even a helicopter, following whalers trying to sabotage their efforts in order to save as many whales as possible. What are the loopholes through which these whalers slip to still be able to kill these majestic creatures? For the exploratory paper, I knew I wanted to delve deeper into this question, such as what the United States is doing to prevent this, which countries still practice whaling for financial gain, what makes them so sought after and how much should we really collect for scientific research? While browsing the Academic Search Premier articles on D2L, I found an International Whaling Commission article by Mark Simmonds that caught my eye. . The article comments on the practice of whaling and a proposal submitted to the IWC that could eventually lead to the resumption of commercial whaling. If this proposal passes, it will mean that the time and millions of dollars spent over the years on conservation will be wasted. Simmonds states, “Even with the memorandum, hundreds of whales are killed every year” (22). In effect, the IWC allows nations to grant each other special permits...... middle of paper ......li, Brita. “Defender of the seas”. E: The environmental magazine 23.1 (2012): 18-25. Premier Academic Research. Internet. October 30, 2013.Chadwick, Douglas H. "Whatever Happened to 'Saving the Whales'?." Sierra 93.4 (2008): 52-72. Premier Academic Research. Internet. November 12, 2013. Simmonds, Mark and Sue Fisher. “Save the whales, not the whalers.” New Scientistd206.2755 (2010): 22-23. Premier Academic Research. Internet. November 12, 2013. Freeman, MMRAlger, Jeff. “Inuit, Whaling and Sustainability (book).” Electronic GreenJournal (2000): N.PAG. MasterFILE First. Internet. Nov. 14, 2013Simons, Marlise “Court hears arguments on whaling in Japan. » The New York TimesA4 from the New York edition of June 27, 2013Stix, Gary. “The Birdman of Baghdad.” Scientific American 304.2 (2011): 24.Academic Search Premier. Internet. Nov. 15, 2013Elefante, Julie “What are whales for today ?” (2013): 1-3