Norway Begins Annual Whale Slaughter Despite International Criticism
Inhumane whaling methods involving exploding harpoons largely unchanged for 70 years
Spring has finally arrived! That means sunny days, blooming flowers and… the brutal slaughter of thousands of whales. That's right – the Norwegian whaling season officially opened on April 1, or All Fools' Day, although this 'cultural tradition' is certainly no joke for the whales or the people who love them.
Norway is one of three nations which continue to kill whales for commercial purposes, despite ardent international opposition and a global moratorium on commercial whaling. This year, the Norwegian government set a quota of 1,286 minke whales for the hunting season, which lasts from April to August.
Image courtesy The Society for the Advancement of Animal Wellbeing
The global moratorium, which has been in force since 1986, was imposed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in response to decimated populations across the globe. Each member nation, including Norway, is obliged to stop killing whales altogether. However, due to a loophole in the memorandum, Norway has been able to shirk these restrictions and has killed more than 9,500 of these peaceful and sentient beings since 1993.
Much of the opposition to whaling comes from its inherently inhumane methods. In 1946, Dr. Harry D. Lillie, who served as a physician on a whaling ship, made the following statement: "If we can imagine a horse having two or three explosive spears stuck into its stomach and being made to pull a butcher's truck through the streets of London while it pours blood in the gutter, we shall have an idea of the present method of killing."
Whaling technology has remained relatively unchanged since then. The penthrite exploding harpoon, as depicted in Lillie's graphic report, remains the weapon of choice in Norway's contemporary fleet, and it doesn't take much of an empathetic leap to imagine how unpleasant it would be to have a grenade explode within one's body. Also, a wide range of environmental factors, such as ocean movement and poor visibility, make it impossible for even the most experienced whalers to ensure a shot accurate enough to kill a whale outright. The Norwegian government's own official data shows that at least one in five whales do not die straight away and therefore suffer long and agonizing deaths, taking upwards of 20 minutes.
The Norwegian government has defended its whaling industry, citing cultural traditions and consumer demand for whale meat. However, the people of Norway are losing their appetite, as depicted in this video, which is part of a public awareness campaign that aims to lead the dwindling industry to its rightful grave.
Most of the people of Earth decided long ago that the whales ought to swim freely and peacefully in their oceanic world. Let us ensure that their suffering stops.