Survival of the fittestWhat is the point of not letting the Japanese hunt whales? Japan is the world's largest consumer of whale meat (Shimbuu 1). As you may already know, I'm not a big whale activist. If these whales were an endangered species, I would feel that they have a right to be protected. These whales that are hunted, however, are not endangered and I believe they are fair game. This article will cover many topics that support Japanese whaling, such as their economy, culture, and history, as well as health concerns related to whaling. He will also discuss the International Whaling Commission and the struggle between the United States and Japan. One of the goals of this article is to open your mind to the Japanese position on the issue of whaling and to better understand how this moratorium affects them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIn 1982, the International Whaling Commission passed the moratorium on whaling, which ended all commercial whaling. the whale (Abe 1). The Japanese persisted in hunting whales until around 1988. This is when they began hunting whales for “research” purposes due to a loophole in the IWC document that allowed limited whaling of this type (Elder 52 ). The research programs were funded through a process of capturing the whales, conducting research on them, and then selling the whale meat throughout the country. The CBI document indicated that there would be a review of the moratorium no later than 1990. This never happened. Finally, over the last five years, some things have started to change. Whales that have not previously been affected by harvest can be hunted and the initial annual capture rate would be set at approximately 0.5% of the current estimated number in the wild (Misaki 2). Some defenders of this clause say that if they allow whaling, the Japanese will be able to lie about the number of whales captured by not reporting all catches. The CBI would enforce this limit by placing inspectors aboard the few factory ships that will operate (Misaki 2). Then, in 1994, the IWC adopted the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary, which included most of the region below the 40 degree southern parallel (Abe 2). This calmed activists because most whaling takes place in this region. As an island country, Japan's economy is largely centered on whaling and fishing. Many seaside towns depend almost entirely on these industries. Due to the CBI moratorium, many of these cities are facing economic strife. The livelihoods of Japanese fishermen and their families are threatened by the 12-year-old ban on whaling (CFRA 1). Many of these Japanese do not understand why they can no longer hunt whales. The Japanese union said whales are now so abundant that they can easily be hunted commercially (CFRA 1). Why do we maintain this ban on whaling? This is what we must ask ourselves. We are letting these whales ruin the circle of life in which every other animal lives. Whales eat fish but no one hunts them. They only act as hunters instead of conforming to nature's circle of life and sometimes being hunted. If they continue to multiplyfreely, they will harm the marine ecosystem because they consume a lot of fish (CFRA 1). To maintain the balance between killing all the whales and letting those whales have free rein of the waters, we desperately need to come up with a better plan that allows some whales to hunt while leaving others free. It is up to the IWC to develop this balance which meets not only the needs of these Japanese communities, but also those of whaling activists as a whole. At present, all developments appear to be one-sided, favoring the anti-whaling side. One of the main differences between North American whaling and Japanese whaling is how we differ in the use of the whale. The Japanese consume almost the entire body of these whales, while we would only use a small part and then discard the rest of the whale as scraps (Abe 1). Every part of the whale is very useful and in most cases very healthy. Whale meat contains more protein than any other type of meat and is also a very good source of iron (Abe 2). A little known fact is that whale meat is both rich in eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). EPA is the acid that helps prevent blood vessel diseases and carciogenesis and DHA is a brain activator (Abe 2). These are two precious acids that are very difficult to find elsewhere. We must take advantage of this resource. “A Taste of Japan” is an article written by Donald Richie that compares and contrasts the attitudes towards food of the Japanese and the rest of the world. In his article he talks about the difference in the types of utensils they use depending on the season they are in. He also talks a lot about how they value texture in foods as much, if not more, than their taste. Putting it all together helped him come to the conclusion that Japanese cuisine is unique in its attitude towards food (Richie 68). If you've ever eaten in a Japanese restaurant, like me, this is illustrated perfectly. Japanese cuisine is not the tastiest food in the world, but in an economy dominated by fast food and Americanized food, Japanese people often choose to eat at their small restaurants. I think this is because their food plays such an important role in their culture. Whales have been an integral part of Japanese culture for a long time. Whale meat was recorded on menus 1000 years ago (Abe 1). Whaling began in Japan in the 2nd century BC and remained a huge industry for that country until this moratorium came into effect (Abe 1). While other countries began whaling but have since ceased the practice, Japan's whaling industry has remained strong throughout this period. An example of this is the United States, which stopped whaling in the 1940s and soon after became an activist against the practice (Abe 1). This leads to the United States' great struggle against Japan. Everyone can see that we are obviously different in many ways. The main point of this article is that they support whaling and we don't. I want us to ask ourselves: who are we to tell them what to hunt? Honestly, how many Americans have actually eaten whale meat? Our differing views on the whaling moratorium are due to the fact that Americans generally do not eat whale meat, while the Japanese do (Elder 53). The whaling moratorium doesn't just ask the Japanese to stop whaling.