The Pros And Cons Of Whaling Should Be Banned

Whaling, which has been in practice for centuries, involved hunting and killing whales in order to obtain oil, meat, or bone. In past years, it has proven controversial and has brought up the question as to whether or not whaling should continue. In order to get a full glimpse of this issue, we need to gather the pros and cons to whaling. By doing this, we can truly assess whether or not whaling is something that should be carried on and legalised.

In the Faroe Islands, there is an old saying which states: “Eat whale meat and blubber, then you will grow tall and strong”. A pro of whaling is that these mammals contain many valuable nutrients. For example, the Pilot whale is not only high in iron, Vitamins A and B, and carnitine, it also contains 25% protein. Doctors have even recommended eating Pilot whale meat to fight against cardiovascular disease due to its unsaturated fatty acids (Source 2). Countries who commonly practice whaling include Iceland and Norway, which like the Faroe Islands, have climates where vitamins from both the sun and vegetables are in short supply (Source 7). Nutritional value should be taken into account when looking at whether or not whaling should continue.

(Source 1) Janine Bowechop, director of the Makah museum, says that when it comes to whaling, "There are lots of spiritual values that feed sharing and cooperation among our community” (Source 4). Although not the most popular form of whaling, Aboriginal whaling is not intended to make a profit, only to sustain native people. Banning all whaling will risk wiping out the livelihood of these