Is whale hunting illegal

Answer 1

It depends on the area it is being done in, as well as the country. The International Whaling Commission sets certain guidelines governing whaling, but essentially, yes, whaling is legal.

See the IWC website for more info.

http://www.iwcoffice.org/index.htm

Answer 2

It depends on what legal jurisdiction. International Whaling is regulated by the International Whaling Commission which was formed 1946 by the then-whaling countries. Their goal is to apply conservation measures to ensure the healthy population of whales to support sustainable whaling. In the 1970s an anti-whaling campaign began globally and led by the World Wildlife Fund, the anti-whaling faction within the IWC were able to vote in a Moratorium on the commercial hunting of whales in 1982. They accomplished this by bribing landlocked nations like Switzerland and Mongolia to join the IWC and vote in their favor. This caused quite a scandal and

the head of the IWC Scientific Committee, whose recommendations such decisions were to based, but were in fact ignored, quit in disgust. Canada walked out of the IWC

as well. Since then bribing countries for votes has been part of IWC politics.

Many nations prohibit whaling in their own waters and EEZs. However those laws do not apply in international waters. Norway and Iceland have rejected the IWC Moratorium and have continued to hunt commercially. Both the United States and Canada allow limited whale hunting for their aboriginal populations. Japan has been

hunting whales under IWC Regulation Article 8, which permits them to hunt whales for research purposes, exempts them from recognizing Moratoriums and Sanctuaries, and

actually requires them to utilize the whalemeat. Which in today's world basically means human consumption. Many anti-whaling nations and conservation groups have charged that Japan's Reseach hunting is merely a cover for commercial whaling, which it very well may be. However, they do routinely submit their research findings to the IWC Scientific committee and otherwise comply with all of the IWC rules. The IWC has been in gridlock as a result of it's agenda being hijacked by the anti-whaling faction and is

currently, in June 2010 seeking a way to take back full control by way of a Proposal that would permit limited commercial whaling with reduced take numbers, but close the

Scientific Whaling "loophole", ensure IWC monitoring of whaling operations and taking

DNA data, so as to be be able to properly manage the whale population. Even the vehemently anti-whaling nations like the United States and New Zealand are supporting this proposal and advocate negotiation. Australia on the other hand,

which has territorial claims on part of he Antarctic Ocean, is adamantly against any

negotiation and has filed a claim against Japan in the International Court of Justice,

an action which is regarded by even other anti-whaling nations as unlikely to succeed.

Answer 3

ummm... I'm pretty sure it's illegal everywhere, but people still do it(illegally of course)!

The US has banned whaling but a few other countries still perform this operation. Japan, for example, still sells whale meat as a high end food.

Answer 4

Under the IWC all commercial whaling is illegal, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroese whale in defiance of the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling.

Under the IWC Japan gives itself scientific permits to take up to 2000 whales per year (1000 North Pacific and 1000 Antarctic whales). Such whaing under scientific permit, aka "Research Whaling" is exempt from recognizing moratoriums and sanctuaries under IWC Article VIII. This makes Japan's Research Whaling in he Antarctic completely legal as far as the IWC regulations are concerned.

South Korea has recently declared their intent to commence Research Whaling as well although it is expected that they will do so in their own waters.

Australia, is taking Japan to the ICJ to test the legality of the widely criticised hunt, as commercial whaling, disguised as research.

Answer 5

Yes, the International Whaling Commission has placed an international ban on commercial whaling. There is a loophole that allows for a certain amount of whales to be killed for scientific research, but those who use this loophole are often criticized and harrassed for abusing it.

Answer 6

i believe it is, but not 100% sure. if you watch whale wars, they never have cops or anything waiting at the docks....

Answer 7

Yes, whales are endangered so in America and other countries it is illegal.

Answer 8

Only in japan