Sunday, June 25, 2006
FAQ #4
Q: If whaling is a traditional cultural activity, shouldn't whalers use traditional methods of hunting?
A: It is certainly true that today, with modern purpose built whaling ships and deck-mounted harpoons, humans have greater potential to deplete whale stocks than when using rudimentary methods involving canoes and hand thrown spears.
However, possessing this potential does not mean that humans will necessarily exploit it. This applies to a range of activities besides whaling in which humans have made technological advancements, enabling us to do greater damage to the environment than before.
Moreover, it is important to recognize that simply using rudimentary hunting methods alone will not ensure that resource use is sustainable. In New Zealand for example, it is believed that the Moa, the world's largest flightless bird, was hunted to extinction by the indigenous Maori people. There are numerous other examples.
What having greater hunting efficiency through advanced technology necessitates is that
a) sustainable levels of resource use (catch limits) must be identified through science, and
b) regulations are put in place to ensure that these scientifically determined levels of use are not exceeded.
These basic ideas are how governments around the world are managing other types of resource use such as fisheries on a sustainable basis.
Indeed, scientific advances actually aid humans in more accurately determining sustainable levels as well as providing technologies with which operations can be regulated (for example, satellite vessel monitoring, and DNA techniques for verifying the source of whale meat).
Another important aspect of advances in hunting efficiency is that it can aid humans in bringing about more rapid death than was possible in the past. Time-To-Death and Instantaneous Death Ratio statistics from Norwegian commercial whaling operations are orders of magnitude better than statistics from more traditional hunts conducted in places such as Greenland. Modern techniques should therefore be considered more humane.
Overall, technological advancements are clearly advantageous in terms of ensuring whale resource use is sustainable, as well as in leading to faster deaths for the individual whales that are taken. ¶ 12:00 PM
A: It is certainly true that today, with modern purpose built whaling ships and deck-mounted harpoons, humans have greater potential to deplete whale stocks than when using rudimentary methods involving canoes and hand thrown spears.
However, possessing this potential does not mean that humans will necessarily exploit it. This applies to a range of activities besides whaling in which humans have made technological advancements, enabling us to do greater damage to the environment than before.
Moreover, it is important to recognize that simply using rudimentary hunting methods alone will not ensure that resource use is sustainable. In New Zealand for example, it is believed that the Moa, the world's largest flightless bird, was hunted to extinction by the indigenous Maori people. There are numerous other examples.
What having greater hunting efficiency through advanced technology necessitates is that
a) sustainable levels of resource use (catch limits) must be identified through science, and
b) regulations are put in place to ensure that these scientifically determined levels of use are not exceeded.
These basic ideas are how governments around the world are managing other types of resource use such as fisheries on a sustainable basis.
Indeed, scientific advances actually aid humans in more accurately determining sustainable levels as well as providing technologies with which operations can be regulated (for example, satellite vessel monitoring, and DNA techniques for verifying the source of whale meat).
Another important aspect of advances in hunting efficiency is that it can aid humans in bringing about more rapid death than was possible in the past. Time-To-Death and Instantaneous Death Ratio statistics from Norwegian commercial whaling operations are orders of magnitude better than statistics from more traditional hunts conducted in places such as Greenland. Modern techniques should therefore be considered more humane.
Overall, technological advancements are clearly advantageous in terms of ensuring whale resource use is sustainable, as well as in leading to faster deaths for the individual whales that are taken. ¶ 12:00 PM
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Hi David,
I would like to point out that people usually refer to technological aspect of "tradition" and often forget the socio-cultural approach.
Technology may evolve while the social and cultural parts stay almost unchanged.
If one look at the history of whaling in Japan, it is obvious that the modern whaling techniques -- which Japanese usually call Norwegian-type whaling -- were first adopted in regions where whaling used to be operated by groups called "kujiragumi" in the Edo period.
In fact, although the Norwegian harpoon gun was introduced, the flensing operations were quite the same as those of the "kujiragumi". The use of whale products and the folklore related to whales and whaling remained unchanged.
These elements were transmitted to places like Ayukawa or Hokkaido through workers from ancient whaling regions, when modern whaling developped in the rest (mainly north) of Japan in the first half of the 20th century.
Let's also stress that whale species Japanese whalers could hunt with their ancient techniques (hand harpoons and nets) were quite decimated by American and European whalers in the 19th century. The population of these species, especially the Pacific right whale, are still very low.
So, going back to "traditional" whaling wouldn't be sustainable.
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I would like to point out that people usually refer to technological aspect of "tradition" and often forget the socio-cultural approach.
Technology may evolve while the social and cultural parts stay almost unchanged.
If one look at the history of whaling in Japan, it is obvious that the modern whaling techniques -- which Japanese usually call Norwegian-type whaling -- were first adopted in regions where whaling used to be operated by groups called "kujiragumi" in the Edo period.
In fact, although the Norwegian harpoon gun was introduced, the flensing operations were quite the same as those of the "kujiragumi". The use of whale products and the folklore related to whales and whaling remained unchanged.
These elements were transmitted to places like Ayukawa or Hokkaido through workers from ancient whaling regions, when modern whaling developped in the rest (mainly north) of Japan in the first half of the 20th century.
Let's also stress that whale species Japanese whalers could hunt with their ancient techniques (hand harpoons and nets) were quite decimated by American and European whalers in the 19th century. The population of these species, especially the Pacific right whale, are still very low.
So, going back to "traditional" whaling wouldn't be sustainable.
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