Commercial Whaling - Lack of Suitable Policy - Essay Example

Inserts His/her Inserts Inserts Grade (04, 08, Commercial Whaling: Lack of Suitable PolicyIntroduction Human society has developed certain laws and regulations over time in order to protect the survival of human race. These regulations protect the long term peace and semblance of the society. With increasing progress laws have become more sophisticated and refined, and this is a sign of progress. But unfortunately the attitude of human society regarding other living beings has not been of similar nature. Especially animals are not treated in the same way as human beings treat themselves. This may be the case because it is thought that animals do not pose any immediate threat of survival for humans. The apathy of human beings regarding animal right preservation is a serious issue. Commercial whaling is an example of human apathy towards well being of animals. Commercial Whaling is a serious problem today, as many species are getting extinct, and lack of suitable policies by International Whaling Commission is a major hurdle in protecting whales. There is need of incentive based policy framework to stop unsustainable killing of whales globally and implementation of this policy is also important. In this essay policies will be proposed with regards to the regulation of commercial whaling and possible issues in implementation of those policies will also be discussed. Dangers of whaling and how lack of policy has failed to curb commercial whaling will also be elaborated. Why Whaling is Dangerous? Whales have been hunted for thousands of years for meat and oil. They are easy targets for people as they serve two very important purposes. Meat of whales can be sold anywhere and at the same time oil can be extracted from their bodies. The oil that is extracted from whales is known as whale oil or train oil. Whale oil was historically used as candle wax and food and later on it was also used to make margarine and protect steel. Today whale oil is not commercially used anywhere in the world as it is not viable and other alternatives are available. But whaling continues to be a problem as hunting of whales for meat is still prevalent in coastal regions all over the globe. Commercial whaling is a problem because the animal is getting extinct in many parts of the world. Killing of any animal for food consumption is not a problem but this should be done in a sustainable way. Unfortunately this is not the case with whaling and countries are killing all species of whales in large number for their own good. The human greed has today taken over all measures of whale protection and whaling has become an industry for many economies. Systematic killings of whales will surely be making them extinct in years to come. Hunting of whales should be done in a sustainable manner as to allow whales to reproduce and multiply so that no specie is threatened by extinction. Hunting of any animal in large number without taking appropriate measures for breeding will have disastrous natural consequences. Treading on the pathways against nature always brings about major problems. Prehistoric hunting of whales is known to have affected the fresh water ecology of the arctic (Douglas et.al. 2004). In future too such problems may arise as sea life is very much connected. Any change in stocks of whales can have dangerous consequences therefore commercial whaling poses a great danger. Many kinds of whale species are actually food for killer whales. In the absence of those species killer whales are forced to eat other marine animals and this shift in the dietary habits of killer sharks can pose threat to other sea animals (Dye, 2010). Nature has a system of life cycle and if not disturbed this life cycle provides foods for all living beings. Any change in this life cycle can cause disruption in marine life and this is what is happening as a result of whaling in oceans all over the world. Lack of apt Policies and Implementation In the case of whaling proper policy framework is absent that may restrict the hunting of whales in oceans globally. There are many reasons why policies regarding commercial whaling are not made and implemented. First of all governments are not interested in stopping the killing of whales because they simply don’t care. They are more inclined to solve problems that show immediate consequences therefore myopic mentality is big hurdle in policy making and implementation. The issue is also ignored because whaling has become a large scale industry in many countries. Economies of some countries are dependent significantly on whaling therefore they tend to turn a blind eye towards whaling issues. There is also a sever lack of awareness among people as to the problems of commercial whaling. People generally believe that there is a general cycle of life and think that killing of whales is similar to killing of cows and goats for meat. Realization is therefore lacking in the general public. That is why in some countries whales are hunted and killed as a hobby. Lack of global level awareness stays a major hurdle in any kind of strict policy framework regarding commercial whaling. Hunting and killing of whales is also a normal routine because it is difficult to screen seas and oceans. Governments often disagree on territorial boundaries in seas therefore any effective policy becomes impossible to implement. There are jurisdiction issues in oceans so hunters can get around any policy that is designed against whaling. International Whaling Commission is an intergovernmental organization that is responsible for preservation of whale stocks. The commission work for the protection of whales and has come up with many policies to curtail commercial whaling but little success has been achieved. This is mainly because IWC cannot enforce its policies in countries that are not its members. The organization calls for voluntary restrictions on countries that are indulging in commercial whaling but historically IWC has achieved little success. This is because no country will want to decrease its revenue that come as a result of commercial whaling industry. Many states all over the world are members of International Whaling Commission including countries like Japan that are famous for commercial whaling. But still the commission has not been greatly successful in securing whales from extinction. This is because the policy framework adopted by the commission is difficult to implement. There are many lope holes in the policies adopted by commission and this gives countries an opportunity to keep their whaling industry running without any serious problems. Especially the big whaling states like Japan do not follow the policies of International Whaling Commission. International Whaling Commission has formulated policies to encounter the problem but they have not proven enough. The commission bans hunting of certain endangered species and has marked certain areas as no hunting zones (International Whaling Commission, 2011). The aim of the commission is to bring back the stock of whales to its old pre world war two number (whaling became rampant after world war two). The organization has also given hunting quotas to countries and going above their respective quota is banned. These quotas can help bring back the original number of whales of all species in seas and oceans. These policies sound good but actually they tackle the problem in a very superficial way. Internal waters are a jurisdiction nightmare therefore implementation of quotas and no hunt zones is impossible. International Whaling Commission does not have its own machinery to implement these policies and it relies on members countries. Only those member countries are actively involved in stopping the rampant killing of whales that have little to gain from whaling. Countries who are earning because of whaling can easily get around such policies and continue their practices. The aim of the policy is to save whales from extinction but that very aim has not been achieved fully. The policy of International Whaling Commission cannot stop commercial whaling because it has an inherent conflict of interest for parties that are gaining from commercial whaling. No country will be willing to stop killing some animals in the name of some environmentally friendly policy. It is important that policies are designed that tackles the aversion of countries from stopping hunting of whales. The policies of International Whaling Commission have been criticized for not being suitable because the commission is actually trying to preserve whales rather than to regulate commercial whaling (Suhre 2000). The organization is trying to become a savior of whales and that is not required. It is important to get the focus right here as there is no harm in hunting of whales but this hunting should be done in a sustainable manner. There are certain species that are decreasing in number and for that incubators should be established. But it is only naïve to even think for a second that preservation of whales will be achieved without giving proper incentive to the parties concerned. The shift in International Whaling Commission’s policy from regulation to preservation has hurt the whole cause of whale protection (Suhre 2000). No policy framework can succeed if a coherent strategy is not formulated that takes into account the benefits of all parties involved. Countries who consider whaling important for their survival should be given incentives and dangerous species should be made safe by protecting them in breeding incubators. Actions are required in order to protect the future generations of whales not one sided naïve policies of preservation. The focus should be on breeding of endangered species and restriction of hunting of only endangered species. A proper mechanism of implementation of policies is lacking and therefore commercial whaling is endangering whales. Policy Framework for Restricting Commercial Whaling As discussed above the present policy is not suitable enough to deal with the issue of commercial whaling on a worldwide basis. An apt policy framework is needed to stop the shirking of whale stocks. Incentives are necessary in order to restrict the use of depleting resources of the world (Bodansky 1995). Countries that are dependent on whale hunting will not change their practices just by signing a treaty. They should be offered incentives to follow a more sustainable form of whaling. These incentives should be financial in nature as it is the only way to motivate countries to stop mass killing of whales. The aim of the policy framework should be to regulate commercial whaling, not to restrict it. Member countries should be asked to contribute money to a fund that should be headed by the International Whaling Commission. This fund should be used to pay remuneration to countries that are dependent on commercial whaling. In return they should be asked to curtail the hunt of whales that are on the verge of extinction. These countries should also be encouraged to start small scale whale incubators where breeding of near extinct whales could be carried out. This will help save the species of whales in danger. Countries which take initiative for breeding of whales should be allowed a greater quota for whaling. This may serve as an incentive for countries and can in turn help IWC save whales from extinction. International Whaling commission should also use its funds to help start its own breeding incubators for whales. More focus should be on breeding of whales so that pre world war numbers can be achieved. This is a cause for which money could easily be collected as many countries are getting serious in restricting unsustainable mass killing of whales. The establishment of fund will be the most important step in the fulfillment of the main aim of the commission. In today’s materialistic world financial power is very important. It has the means to force people to think about issues. No country will prefer environment over monetary gains therefore give and take policy is vital for restricting commercial whaling. With the proposed fund International Whaling Commission can also keep an eye on member countries like Japan who are involved in large scale whaling. IWC can then also implement its policies as it will be given monetary concessions to countries. The power of money should not be ignored as it is the only way through which issues can be solved in this materialistic world. An appropriate policy of whale tax can also be imposed on countries which are involved in whaling. This tax money should be relatively small so that countries can pay it easily. This money should be used to help the sea life in general and whales in particular. Species of whales that are endangered can be helped with this tax money. Taxes should be imposed in order to tell the end users of the whaling industry that they are taking part in a systematic killing of endangered species. Countries should be encouraged to pass the burden of this tax to the end users so that governments are not burdened by this tax. This will increase chances of collection of such tax. Issues in Implementation of Proposed Policy International Whaling Commission will face many problems in implementation of policies. In the wake of tough economic times it will be difficult for countries to agree to a new form of expenditure that will not have a direct short term positive impact. But this can be done by increasing global awareness and pressuring the governments to play a role. Corporations should also be targeted and their money should also be used to finance the IWC fund. Collection of money will be a very difficult process but once it is done, it will prove helpful in the cause of protecting whales. There will also be issues in collection of taxes from countries involved in commercial whaling. Tax collection on an international basis will not be easy but proper policies and lobbying will help in achieving this aim. Countries usually try to avoid taxes therefore support of large powers like United States will be needed. Vigilance of oceans will be another hurdle in implementation of proposed policies. IWC will have to come up with a system of vigilance with member countries. Radical steps are difficult to implement but they have the potential to bring about maximum change. Countries which are less dependent on whaling should be asked for help as they have no conflict of interest with regards to the issue. Through vigilance it can be ensured that governments are actually abiding by the rules of the commission. Territorial issues will arise in the process but long term positive effects can be achieved. Conclusion Commercial whaling is a serious problem all over the world as it has caused reduction in the number of many species of whales. Governments which are involved in commercial whaling are not interested in using sustainable ways of hunting. Lack of appropriate policies by the International Whaling Commission is a hurdle in promoting sustainable ways of whaling. The commission is also not able to play a significant role in reducing whale hunting. This is because its policies are not followed by governments as they have a conflict of interest. Incentive based policy is required to promote sustainable ways of whaling. Monetary incentive alongside with breeding of species of whales which are endangered can help solve the problem. Formulation of an international fund and collection of taxes from whaling states can also prove helpful. Works Cited Page Bodansky, Daniel. “International Law and the Protection of Biological Diversity”. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 28(623): 623-632 (1995) Douglas, Smol, Savelle, & Blais. “Prehistoric Inuit Whalers affected Arctic Freshwater Ecosystems”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 101(6): 1613-1617 (2004) Dye, Lee. “How Whale Hunting Changed the Ocean”. ABC News: 1 (2010). Web. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97519&page=1 Suhre, Sarah. “Misguided Morality: The Repercussions of the International Whaling Commissions Shift from a Policy of Regulation to One of Preservation”. Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, 12(305): 305-328 (2000) “The Convention”. International Whaling Commission (2011). Web. http://www.iwcoffice.org/commission/convention.htm Read More