Amelia Lee
Whaling in the Antarctic
Whaling in the Antarctic has always been a major issue in recent years especially between Japanese whaling companies and the Anti-Whaling group Sea Shepherd. Recently Japanese whaling factory ship Nisshin Maru collided with several other ships including ‘The Steve Irwin’, ‘The Bob Barker’ and its own fuel-landen tanker.
History of Whaling In the Antarctic
Antarctic whaling began on a large scale in 1904 with the building of a whale processing station at Grytviken, South Georgia. The Japanese take around 300 whales per year from Antarctic waters for ‘research’ and also its flesh from the ‘scientifically gathered’ whales are sold. In 1925 the first factory ships were built so that the whole process could take place on the sea.
Government role in Whaling
Many believe that the Japanese are breaching international laws. However they are saying that they are complying with all international regulations. The Australian government rarely respond to the topic of whaling as they want to maintain strong trade links with Japan. However it is clear they are against whaling. Australia is an active participant in the IWC (international whaling commission) in Commission meetings, sending delegations to all annual meetings, supporting meetings and special meetings.
Role of Sea Shepherd
Sea Shepherd was established in 1977 and is an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organisation. They are a zero tolerance of destruction and
