Essay On Whaling Should Be Banned

I not only agree with the Japanese and Norwegian position that hunting non-endangered species of whales should be allowed for culture purposes, but I also think that hunting non-endangered species of whales should not even be considered illegal. The main reason hunting non-endangered species of whales was banned in the first place was because the dominant culture that made the decision valued the lives of whales and believed they should be protected from whaling. We allow hunting of deer and fishing of shrimp, but not hunting of whales and on the fact that we love whales so much. This whaling ban is a significant violation of the sovereignty of Japan and Norway as well as other cultures that practice whaling. We are essentially saying, “Since we love whales so much you are not allowed to hunt them in your own waters even though they are not even endangered because that is unethical.” I see whale hunting no more unethical than deer hunting or shrimping, so why are we still allowed to hunt deer and fish for shrimp? It is primarily a cultural value for whales that gives those rights above other animals. Any nation should be allowed to hunt any animal as long as it does not have significant impact on the environment. The same case should be made of whaling.

I think that countries that hunt whales like Japan and Norway

The economic impact that whaling has on some small fishing villages does not have any weight on any of the statements I have made in this paper including my definition on cultural activities. I think the most important issue here are that of the violations on the sovereignty of nations and cultural values of the many being forced upon cultures with less people. Why does one group of people have the right to decide what is considered a right and who is protected by such