Natural selection, survival of the fittest. With the development of the times, new species are discovered every year, and there are also species that have survived for many years. For example, Kiki, the last white dolphin on the earth, sadly left the earth in 2002, leaving only a gray image.
Whales, the largest mammals in the ocean at present, can be called one of the kings of the sea, but such a powerful creature is still unable to escape the killing of humans. On June 6, 2022, Japanese officials released news that this year's commercial whaling in Hokkaido, Japan, officially began, and the whaling fleet has also been sailing into the sea. Soon, this report sparked a heated discussion on the Internet, why is Japan so obsessed with killing whales?
Why is Japan so obsessed with killing whales?
The deterioration of the marine environment has put whale-like marine life groups in jeopardy, and the over-hunting of humans has made it worse. Data show that Japan, despite opposition from various countries, fished 91 minke whales in 2021. On June 6, 2022, Japanese officials announced that 133 minke whales are planned to be captured nationwide this year. As soon as the news spread, it triggered strong condemnation from environmentalists and anti-whaling countries around the world.
Under the condemnation of the world, Japan is still arbitrary and obsessed with killing whales. 2022 is the third year of commercial whaling in Japan, and on June 6, in the Hokkaido region of Japan, which is not far behind, sent several whaling fleets to capture a minke whale in the sea off the Sea of Okhotsk. So why is Japan willing to risk the world and insist on killing whales?
There are many reasons, the first is the historical origin, Japan is currently the world's largest whaling and whale-eating country, even if the commercial whaling profit, there are more than 400 years of history, Japan's coastal residents are proud of whaling. In Japan's traditional food culture, the consumption of whale meat is an important part of it. In Japan in the 1960s, whale meat consumption was about 200,000 tons per year.
Second, Japan's obsession with whaling stems from a scramble for marine resources. As one of the world's largest fish consumers, Japan wants to maintain its position by killing fish such as whales. In addition, Japan's whaling activities also involve many Japanese interest groups, such as commercial whaling, which has a great role in the economy and bureaucracy. In fact, Japan's return to the road of commercial whaling is also a ups and downs.
The ups and downs of Japan's return to commercial whaling
Due to the drastic decline in the number of whales in the world, countries around the world began to form the International Whaling Commission in 1948. The main role of this committee is to hunt whaling scientifically and rationally, maintain the number of whales, and safeguard the interests of all countries in the ocean. In 1951, Japan joined the organization with a better attitude towards whale fishing. Who knows the opposite, joining the group has made Japan's commercial whaling road to ups and downs.
In 1982, the International Whaling Commission announced that it would stop killing whales because whale populations were already in jeopardy. This provision has seriously affected Japan's maritime interests, and its repeated proposals to restart commercial whaling have been rejected by the council. During this period, Japan's whaling activities once fell into a low point, and they could only hunt whales under the guise of science, but they were repeatedly condemned and obstructed by various countries.
At the end of June 2019, due to the difficulty of developing the marine economy, Japan decisively announced its withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission. Japan's move was unanimously condemned by the international community, but Japan was arbitrary and under great pressure to restart commercial whaling in July 2019. However, its fishing range is limited to Japan's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. But over time, its fishing range has gradually become more extensive.
How should humans protect the whale species?
I believe that many people should have seen the 2016 movie Mermaid led by Stephen Chow, which has a bloody clip, which is the tragic situation of blood flowing on the ground when humans kill these fish. The tragic situation of this scene is presented in these whale-killing countries like Japan, who often hunt whales in various seas under the banner of "scientific research whaling", making whales in many seas extinct.
At present, the number of whales and fish animals living on Earth is 1.5 million. Represented by two types of whales, one is the toothed whale, and the famous sperm whale is one of them. The other group is baleen whales, represented by blue whales, which are the minke whales captured in Hokkaido, Japan. However, with the killing of humans and the deterioration of the ecological environment, the number of whales has been drastically reduced, and it is urgent to protect them.
How should we protect whales? The first is to strengthen cooperation and communication among countries, stop commercial whaling, and impose sanctions on countries that hunt large-scale whaling. The second is that countries should establish ecological reserves for whales so that young whales can grow safely. The third is to reduce hunting, reduce the damage to the ecological environment, and live in harmony with nature. So, what other ways do friends can protect whales? Feel free to leave a message in the comments section with your thoughts.