Whaling In Australian Whales

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Whaling is the hunting of whales primarily for meat oil and blubber. Due to whaling, many species of whales have become critically endangered making, whaling a major issue. There are only three countries that still practice whaling: Japan, Norway and Iceland. There have been many domestic and international responses to the issue that attempt to cease or at least cut down on whaling. Legal responses to whaling on a national level are quite effective in terms of identifying, preventing and regulating whaling in Australian waters. However, International responses, while mostly quite effective, have some problems as they are harder to enforce. The main international law that regulates whaling is the International Convention for the Regulation …show more content…
This is the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) (1999). Under the EPBC it is illegal to kill, injure and/or interfere with cetaceans (whales/dolphins/porpoises) in the Australian Whale Sanctuary (AWS) which spans from three nautical miles from the shore to the boundary of Australia’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Penalties for breaching this Act reach up to fines of $110 000 and two years imprisonment. Offences relating to cetaceans also apply to Australian citizens outside overseas and in international waters. The EPBC also sets out cetacean recovery plans, whose effectiveness is evident in the increasing whale population each year. The EPBC is very effective in preventing whaling inside Australia’s borders as it rules it illegal. The hefty penalties for breaching the EPBC are also quite effective in preventing whaling, as they act as deterrents for possible …show more content…
Australia was a whaling nation until the 1970s when there was an enormous push by NGOs and the public to cease whaling practises. This push ultimately lead to Australia adopting an anti-whaling policy in 1979. On 30th June 2014, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), along with other international anti-whaling NGOs, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Tony Abbott urging him to bring up the issue of whaling with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his visit to Australia on 7th-10th July 2014. This letter was sent in the wake of Japan announcing that they will be continuing their ‘scientific whaling’ in 2015. Although the NGOs’ request was not heeded, their letter and the bad publicity from Abbott’s not bringing up the subject reinforced the seriousness of the issue and the need for governments to respect the legal system and its
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