Anthropology of Food

Whales / Dolphins / Porpoises
(Cetacea)

In the News

Park Ranger Linda Rath standing next to dead, beached Humpback whale.
Monterey Bay Whale Watch

Wikipedia:

In the News . . .

• Washington's Makah Tribe could once again harpoon whales as US waives conservation law -- AP News (13 June 2024)
  
  
• The last whale hunter in Iceland -- The Guardian (27 October 2023)
  
  
• Iceland allows whaling to resume in ‘massive step backwards’ -- The Guardian (31 August 2023)
  
  
• Whale meat on the menu as Japanese suppliers try to tempt tourists – BBCNews (23 March 2023)
  
  
• Campaigners criticise Japan firm selling whale meat from vending machines -- The Guardian (24 January 2023)
  
  
• Save whales or eat lobster? The battle reaches the White House -- The Guardian (11 December 2022)
  
  
• Leaders make fifth attempt to pass UN Oceans Treaty – BBCNews (16 August 2022)
  
  
• Ozette: The US' lost 2,000-year-old village -- [Makah; Ozette] BBCNews (06 June 2022)
  
  
• The last hunt? Future in peril for ‘the unicorn of the sea’ -- The Guardian (02 June 2022)
  
  
• Iceland to end whaling in 2024 as demand dwindles -- The Guardian (04 February 2022)
  
  
• Faroe Islands to set quota of 500 dolphins to be killed in controversial whale hunt -- USA Today (12 July 2022)
  
  
• Japan’s whaling town struggles to keep 400 years of tradition alive -- The Guardian (26 December 2021)
  
  
• Makah Tribe in US hopes for rights to resume sacred tradition of gray whale hunting -- The Guardian (12 November 2021)
  
  
• Judge recommends tribe be allowed to hunt gray whales off Washington state -- The Guardian (25 September 2021)
  
  
• Horror at the Faroes dolphin slaughter is only human – but it risks hypocrisy -- The Guardian (15 September 2021)
  
  
• Faroe Islands: Anger over killing of 1,400 dolphins in one day -- BBCNews (15 September 2021)
  
  
• North Atlantic right whales critically endangered by climate crisis, new study finds -- The Guardian (03 September 2021)
  
  
• Entangled. A film by David Abel & Andy Laub. Bullfrog Films. (75 minutes, 2021)
  
  
• Endangered North Atlantic right whales produce most calves since 2015 -- The Guardian (02 April 2021)
  
  
• Sperm whales in 19th century shared ship attack information -- The Guardian (17 March 2021)
  
  
• Japan whale hunting: 'By-catch' rule highlighted after minke death -- BBCNews (31 January 2021)
  
  
• Officials hail 'encouraging' number of north Atlantic right whale births -- The Guardian (25 January 2021)
  
  
• Dolphins have similar personality traits to humans, study finds -- The Guardian (19 February 2021)
  
  
• Scientists cheered by bowhead whale recovery despite Arctic warming -- The Guardian (12 December 2020)
  
  
• Humans pushing North Atlantic right whale to extinction faster than believed -- The Guardian (30 October 2020)
  
  
• 'Real and imminent' extinction risk to whales -- BBCNews (10 Ocober 2020)
  
  
• Tragedy in Tasmania: what are pilot whales, and why do they strand themselves? -- The Guardian (24 September 2020)
  
  
• 380 whales dead in worst mass stranding in Australia's history -- The Guardian (23 September 2020)
  
  
• Pilot whales Tasmania: Rescuing whales in Australia's worst stranding -- BBCNews (23 September 2020)
  
  
• 'For me whale meat is my childhood, my memories' -- BBCNews (17 September 2020)
  
  
• We should stop buying fish until the industry stops slaughtering dolphins -- The Guardian (12 March 2020)
  
  
• More than 80% of Indian Ocean dolphins may have been killed by commercial fishing, study finds -- The Guardian (02 March 2020)
  
  
• "The grind": Stacey Dooley investigates a controversial, bloody whale hunting tradition -- BBCNews (22 January 2020)
  
  
• A Native Tribe Wants to Resume Whaling. Whale Defenders Are Divided. -- The New York Times (18 November 2019)
  
  
• Will Whale Hunting Return to the Pacific Northwest? -- The New York Times (14 November 2019)
  
  
• How to weigh a whale without a scale -- BBCNews (01 October 2019)
  
  
• Antibiotic resistance rising among dolphins, study reveals -- The Guardian (15 September 2019)
  
  
• SeaWorld hits back in Virgin Holidays whale tourism row -- BBCNews (17 July 2019)
  
  
• Southern right whale moms and calves may whisper to evade orcas -- ScienceNews (11 July 2019)
  
  
• Whispers help southern right whales protect calves -- ScienceNews (11 July 2019)
  
  
• After 30 years, Japan prepares to resume commercial whaling -- The Guardian (28 June 2019)
  
  
• Right whale population decline linked to ocean warming, research says -- The Guardian (27 May 2019)
  
  
• Where Did the Right Whales Go? -- The New York Times (23 May 2019)
  
  
• Japanese man prepares for landmark case against dolphin hunts -- The Guardian (16 May 2019)
  
  
• On a Coastline With 1,200 Dead Dolphins, Fishermen and Conservationists Clash -- The New York Times (02 May 2019)
  
  
• Russia moves to free nearly 100 captive whales after outcry -- The Guardian (08 April 2019)
  
  
• Fossil of ancient four-legged whale with hooves discovered -- The Guardian (04 April 2019)
  
  
• Outlook, Flipper’s Trainer Turned Dolphin Saviour [Ric O'Barry} -- BBCOutlook (06 Februaray 2019)
  
  
• People of the Whale – a portrait of traditional hunting in Alaska -- The Guardian (04 February 2019)
  
  
• Celebrities call on Japan to scrap resumption of whaling -- The Guardian (24 January 2019)
  
  
• Japan sushi tycoon pays record tuna price -- BBCNews (05 January 2019)
  
  
• No North Atlantic right whales killed in Canadian waters in 2018 -- The Guardian (02 January 2019)
  
  
• Japan whale hunting: Commercial whaling to restart in July -- BBCnews (26 December 2018)
  
  
• Japan 'to leave whaling commission to resume hunting' -- BBCnews (20 December 2018)
  
  
• Pro-whaling nations block plan to create sanctuary -- BBCnews (12 September 2018)
  
  
• Australia to oppose Japan's push to reintroduce commercial whaling -- The Guardian (31 August 2018)
  
  
• What did the dolphin say to the porpoise? -- BBCNews (29 August 2018)
  
  
• Whale hunt in Faroe Islands turns sea red with blood -- BBCNews (16 August 2018)
  
  
• The city that lit the world -- BBCtravel (20 July 2018)
  
  
• Japan faces backlash over push to resume 'cruel' commercial whaling -- The Guardian (02 July 2018)
  
  
• Dolphin 'happiness' measured by scientists in France -- BBCNews (26 May 2018)
  
  
• Iceland sets target of 191 kills as country resumes whaling -- The Guardian (18 April 2018)
  
  
• Dead Sperm Whale Had 64 Pounds of Trash in Its Digestive System -- Smithsonian (12 April 2018)
  
  
• Dolphins Mug for Camera in Awareness Test - Video -- The New York Times (10 January 2018)
  
  
• The people of the whale -- BBCnews (03 January 2018)
  
  
• How Sea Shepherd lost battle against Japan’s whale hunters in Antarctic -- The Guardian (23 December 2017)
  
  
• Sea Shepherd to stop intercepting Japanese whaling vessels -- BBCnews (29 August 2017)
  
  
• Internet threats hound teen subsistence hunter after he kills bowhead whale -- Anchorage Daily News (15 August 2017)
  
  
• A Whaling Way of Life Under Threat -- The New York Times (03 August 2017)
  
  
• Whaling's 'uncomfortable' scientific legacy -- BBCnews (25 June 2017)
  
  
• Two-headed porpoise caught in fishing net is first ever found -- NewScientist (14 June 2017)
  
  
• France bans captive breeding of dolphins and killer whales -- BBCnews (07 May 2017)
  
  
• Mass Die-Off of Whales in Atlantic Is Being Investigated -- The New York Times (27 April 2017)
  
  
• Lost Whaling Ships Discovered in Arctic Thanks to Global Warming -- National Geographic News (08 January 2016)
  
  
• Australia 'disappointed' by Japan whaling, says PM in Tokyo -- BBCNews (18 December 2015)
  
  
• The whip-smart dolphin brain -- MPRNews (09 September 2015)
  
  
• Sperm Whales' Language Reveals Hints of Culture -- National Geographic News (08 September 2015)
  
  
• How Harry Styles sent SeaWorld's image diving -- BBCNews (02 September 2015)
  
  
• Turks and Caicos dolphin park plan meets with opposition -- BBCNews (30 August 2015)
  
  
• Why More Than 15,000 Dolphins Have Been Killed in Solomon Islands Drive Hunts -- Washington Post (09 May 2015)
  
  
• The Grind [Faroe Islands; whales] (29 min., 2015) [watch on-line]
  
  
• Rogue 'Electro-Fishing' Puts River Dolphins at Risk in Myanmar -- National Geographic News (17 February 2015)
  
  
• Japan Is Back in the Hunt for Whales -- The New York Times (29 November 2014)
  
  
• Japan to restart whaling programme -- BBC News (19 September 2014)
  
  
• A Whale of an International Court Ruling Against Japan -- The New York Times (1 April 2014)
  
  
• To the Japanese Fisherman of Taiji -- Yoko Ono Lennon (20 January 2014)
  
  
• Whaling Talks Focus on 'Too Commercial' Arctic Claims -- BBC News (01 July 2012)
  • Indigenous Whaling Bids Granted After 'Racism' Claim -- BBC News (03 July 2012)
    
    
• Atlantic Whaler Found in Pacific French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii -- Top 10 Discoveries of 2011, Archaeology Volume 65 Number 1, January/February 2012
  
  
• Japan ends whaling season short of quota -- BBC News (09 March 2012)
  
  
• Killer Whale Menu Finally Revealed -- Science (30 January 2012)

• Aboriginal subsistence whaling (ASW) -- International Whaling Commission
  
  
• American Cetacean Society
  
  
• A World Built on Ice and Whales -- BBC News (13 July 2011)
  
  
• Beluga Whale TEK -- The Field Book Project, Smthsonian National Museum of Natural History
  
  
• Casey, Susan. Voices in the Ocean: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins. NY: Doubleday, 2015.
  
  
• 'Clean-up bid' for whaling body -- BBC News (10 July 2011)
  
  
• The Cove -- TakePart.com
  
  
• Decision time for whale conservation -- BBC News (07 June 2010)
  
  
• Dolphin Rescue in Brazil [video]
  
  
• Fish and seafood utilization -- Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, United Nations
  
  
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  • Fisheries & Aquaculture
    
    
• The Food Timeline -- Lynne Olver, Morris County Library NJ
  
  
• Guide to the oceans' great whales -- BBCNews
  
  
• History of Maine Fisheries Database -- Raymond H. Fogler Library, University of Maine's
  
  
• How Much is a Whale Worth? -- Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
  
  
• International Whaling Commission
  
  
• Japanese whale meat 'being sold in US and Korea' -- BBC News (14 April 2010)
  
  
• Japan 'to continue' Antarctic whaling -- BBC News (12 July 2011)
  
  
• Japan Whale Hunting on Hold -- JAPANREALTIME (16 February 2011)
  
  
• Makah Tribe: Fighting to Kill More Whales -- Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
  
  
• Makah Whaling -- Wikipedia
  • Makah Museum -- Wikipedia
    
    
• The Makah Whaling Conflict: The Return to Whaling -- The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) 
  
  
• Makah Whaling Misunderstood -- Madonna L. Moss (28 May 1999)
  
  
• Marker, Michael. (2006). After the Makah Whale Hunt: Indigenous Knowledge and Limits to Multicultural Discourse. Urban Education, 41 (5), 482-505.
  
  
• Minamata diease -- Wikipedia
  
  
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
  • Seafood WATCH
  • Seafood Watch Pocket Guide
    
    
• Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
  
  
• Roberts, Callum. The Unnatural History of the Sea. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2008.
  
  
• Sea Web
  
  
• Smart Fish Guide -- Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
  
  
• TakePart --The Cove
  
  
• USDA Economic Research Service
  • Animal Products
    • Aquaculture
      
      
• Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC)
  
  
• Whales and Humans Linked by 'Helpful Grandmothers' -- BBC News (02 July 2010)
  
  
• Whales: From Bone to Book -- Smithsonian Libraries
  
  
• Whaling body passes reforms on 'cash for votes' -- BBC News (13 July 2011)
  
  
• Whaling History: Laura Jernegan, Girl on a Whaleship -- Martha's Vineyard Museum
  
  
• With Powerboat and Forklift, a Sacred Whale Hunt Endures -- New York Times (16 October 2011)

NZ calls for whaling compromise
Allowing whaling nations to kill a limited number of the animals is the only way to control hunting, New Zealand says.

Japan's whaling policy and practices receive close scrutiny
-- Scout Report 19 March 2010

Japan's whaling policy and practices receive close scrutiny

Not whaling but drowning
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15663372

The fight over whaling
http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2010/03/whales_their_intelligence_and_japans_treatment_them

Japanese media express frustration at NZ activist
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10632168

Abduction of Aboriginal Whaling Rights
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8545073.stm

International Whaling Commission [pdf]
http://www.iwcoffice.org/

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society: Species Guide
http://www2.wdcs.org/species/

For the most part, commercial whaling came to a halt in 1986 when the International Whaling Commission imposed a moratorium on this practice. Some nations, including Japan, have continued to conduct limited whale hunts for what they term "research" purposes, but this is a practice that is frowned on in some quarters. Whaling has received new attention in recent weeks as the American film "The Cove" won an Oscar for Best Documentary. The film deals with a related topic, namely the annual dolphin slaughter in the village of Taiji. Japan's practices would appear to have international political effects, as Australia's prime minister Kevin Rudd has mentioned that he would sue Japan in the International Court of Justice if it does not give up whaling in the near future. The situation became more hostile this past week when anti-whaling activist Peter Bethune was arrested in Tokyo. Back in February, Bethune had boarded the Japanese vessel Shonan Maru II with the intent of arresting the ship's captain. Bethune claims that the captain had attempted to murder his crew members as they were trying to halt whaling activities by disrupting ships by using lasers and various chemicals. [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to an opinion piece by The Economist's Banyan on the current state of whaling agreements. The second link leads to a follow-up piece by Banyan that includes responses to his first piece. Moving on, the third link will lead users to a news article from the March 15th New Zealand Herald which talks about the Japanese media's reaction to Peter Bethune's recent activities. The fourth link leads to a thoughtful piece by Chris Butler-Stroud, the chief executive of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation society, on how commercial and political interests have worked to abuse the historical whaling rights of indigenous people. The fifth link whisks users away to the homepage of the International Whaling Commission. Here visitors can learn about treaties governing commercial whaling and other related materials. Finally, the last link leads to a fun and informative guide to identifying whales and dolphins, courtesy of the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society. [KMG]

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