Jessica Porter Specific Purpose Statement: To inform the audience about endangered whales. Thesis Statement: I will inform my audience about the threats endangered whales face, and how they are being protected. Introduction Attention Getter: How many whales do you think are killed each year? Well, in the 2007–2008 seasons, over 1,500 whales were killed. Since 1986, 31,984 whales have been killed (Whaling).
In this coursework I will be giving facts about whales, the population of whales, historical facts and arguments for and against whaling. Also I will be giving my opinion on this argument, however first I must look at both sides of the argument before I make my final decision. History Whaling began in the prehistoric time and was initially confined to coastal waters; this affected the traditions of cultures in countries such as Norway and Japan. The development of whaling technology was spurred in the 19th century as an increasing number of people wanted whale oil. Whaling is the hunting of whales mainly for meat and oil.
Fin Whale Razorback might sound like a name for a cool car, but it’s actually a name for the Fin Whale. Other names include Common Rorqual and Finback (Harrison, 2005). The Fin Whale is part of the species Balaenoptera physalus(Harrison,2005). The reason why I chose the Fin Whale is because it caught my attention on the hit television show “Whale Wars” on Animal Planet. “Whale Wars” is a show about a conservation society who protects whales in the southern ocean from the Japanese Whaling Fleet who hunts whales to sell the meat illegally on the Japanese Market.
This event was a result of a Japanese fishing ship sailing into the range of an American hydrogen bombing test site (Roberto). This hydrogen bomb was nearly one thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, resulting in casualties and economic struggles in the Japanese fishing industry, due to fear of radiation poisoning (Roberto). Japan, caught in the crosshairs of the two superpowers was skeptical that a nuclear devastation was right around the corner. The psychological impacts of this skepticism had profound enough effects on Japanese society that it is clearly reflected in cinema in the following years. “Gojira”, directed by Ishiro Honda, was created in the realm of this era, sending a message to the world regarding the buildup of nuclear arms.
As if that was not horrible enough, dolphin trainers and veterinarians witness and sometimes assist the killings. If they see a "good-looking dolphin", they purchase them to use in dolphinariums (a dolphin aquarium) and amusement parks around the world (Brian Duignan, Dolphin Slaughter in Japan, Advocacy.britannica.com) including the beloved Sea World. A former Sea World biologist stated in a short documentary, "Sea World has been involved in illegal and unethical actions to assure their parks are well stocked with killer whales." He also said in the same documentary that, "Sea World representatives secretly promoted the Japanese dolphin drivers where thousands of animals are
The New York Times article dated, October 23, 2009, “From Sea to Supermarket: Harrowing Look at Hunts” reported the serious problem on dolphin killings in Japan. Approximately 13,000 dolphins are being slaughtered annually on the seaside town of Taiji, Japan and their meat, containing toxic levels of mercury, is being sold as exotic food in the markets, often times labeled as whale meat. The majority of the people of the world including the Japanese people are not aware this is happening since the Taiji cove is blocked off from the public and cameras are not allowed inside the cove and media does not cover the story. An American documentary, “The Cove” was secretly filmed using hidden cameras on dolphin hunting on Taiji to make the Japanese public and the world aware of the brutal killing of the dolphins and whales. Whale and dolphin hunting is considered an important part of Japan’s traditional livelihood and culinary culture, a practice to be defended against foreign interference even though only a minority of Japanese eat whale meat, and even fewer eat dolphin.
He must recount the story in which he is left with the final option of killing the savage cook. After his account, Mr. Chiba confesses “What a horrible story” (99). Nevertheless, it is credible, which gives it an advantage over his original story with the animals. With the original story, the actions of the chef are shocking and even incredible. Yet, since they are fellow humans, Pi’s survival is more likely.
Whaling has been around on since prehistoric times, they were hunted by chasing the whales, and throwing a harpoon into them. Whaling and fishing in the late nineteenth and twentieth century became a tragedy of the commons where fishermen had little incentive to allow some fish to remain to only be taken by others. Countries around the world were putting whales on the brink of extinction through any means necessary. By not taking young fish, this would allow future fish to keep the population stable, but by not taking the younger fish, the fishermen would lose these to other fishermen. In the 1800s and 1900s whales were found to be quite practical and useful.
This means that hunting whales for the sole purpose of generating profit is no longer legally permitted. It may seem that because this regulation has been put into place, the practice of whaling would come to an end, yet the IWC remains powerless in the fight towards ending the slaughter of whales (International Whaling Commission, n.p). This is mainly because commercial whaling is a prominent industry in Japan and its ban has cut off a large portion of the country’s revenue. So, in order to diminish their losses they ceaselessly continue this practice, which in turn can be adequately described as mass
Like all animals, sharks are an important part of the ecosystem, without them the entire ecosystem will collapse. “Each year, up to 73 million sharks are killed for their fins, despite the fact that 30% of shark species are threatened or nearly threatened with extinction” (Krista Mahr). With fewer sharks existing in the ecosystem, their prey would multiply and become over populated and eventually wipe out other species. This occurrence will have an immense impact on many communities that rely on healthy fisheries. Shark poaching is a big concern because it affects the future of sharks and their place of living.