William YorkMay 3rd, 2008 - 21:10:29

I know that the minke whale is a non-endangered whale species; thus, in relation to the quota of about 1000 minke whales, I would like to know what the total minke population is?

Furthermore, Norway being a whaling nation like the U.S. - I would like to know if the U.S. hunts minke whales as well, or what whale species it is the U.S. predominantly hunts?

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SashaMay 3rd, 2008 - 23:08:02

That depends on who's counting. The estimated figures coming from whaling nations such as Japan usually seem to be twice or more of the figures estimated by IWC or concerned organizations. According to an article I've read, Australia found the number of Antarctic minke whales to be considerably less than they have expected, and they're worried that their population is declining. I'm not sure how many minkes there are in the northern seas, but I wouldn't trust the figures coming from Norway.
The native peoples in Alaska hunt Bowhead whales. They have their own marine biologist who helps them justify their whaling as 'sustainable', but others seem to disagree on their figures. The number of Bowheads that swim by their shores are decreasing because of climate change, so they have to go further offshore every year to hunt for their intended quotas.
The Makah tribe in Washington state are allowed to hunt endangered Gray Whales only within the numbers that they are permitted, but they've poached more than they are legally allowed, and were put to trial earlier this year.

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SashaMay 4th, 2008 - 03:25:22

Just to be fair, I might also add that whaling by indigenous peoples are generally considered different from large scale commercial whaling conducted by Japan, Norway, and Iceland, because indigenous peoples don't hunt for huge profits, they share the meat within their communities, and the numbers of whales they hunt are much smaller by comparison. Still, that may not make it okay anymore because of the changing environment. They too are being asked to look at the bigger picture, and cooperate to help recover the ecosystem.
The waters are becoming more polluted with chemical and garbage, and some whale/dolphin species have cancer because of the chemicals that are accumulating in their bodies. Some species are getting skinnier and starving because their food sources are declining due to our overfishing and changes in the ocean environment. Thousands of them get tangled in huge commercial fishing nets every year and suffer unnecessary deaths. They also hurt their ears because of the Navy's sonar experiments, injure themselves by colliding with ships, and some have spear heads stuck inside their bodies due to past hunting attempts. On top of that, more oil companies are going out there to drill the sea floors. The oceans are becoming an increasingly harsh place to survive in.

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