Norway as a progressed and well-known country has the world’s biggest whale hunting industry and the numbers are still rising. Instead of spending money into species and marine conversation, Norway slaughtered already almost twice as many whales than last year since the whale hunting season began in April.
History of Whaling in Norway
Norway’s whale hunting history speaks for itself. In the last 10 years, the nation slaughtered more whales than Japan or Island and in three of those years even more than both countries together. That means, 2019, 429 whales were killed. In 2020 the number rose to 503 whales. In 2021, Norway seemed to have reached its climax with 5 whales per day. Pregnant female whales are targeted which means hunting is threatening the whale population and this also has a massive impact on us human beings.
Norway’s history in whale hunting speaks for itself
The importance of Whales
Whales are our allies in the battle against climate change. Similar to trees, they store large amounts of carbon in their bodies for a long period of time. Therefore, it cannot combine to form climate damaging CO2. Furthermore, whales contribute to a healthy marine ecosystem. Slaughtering these animals is actively threatening the planet, so why is Norway still supporting such a damaging industry?
The issue finds its origin at the beginning of the century. Back then, the fishing industry was not as developed as it is today and thus the population of marine animals as whales and fish still intact. The basic problem nowadays is industrial overfishing by humans, which is causing fish stocks to collapse. However, the Norwegian government still blames whales and seals for the extinction of fish which is the reason why whale hunting even began. In addition, whale meat is a national delicacy nowadays and is sold to locals and tourists. However, the demand for whale meat is decreasing since climate protection becomes more and more relevant.
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Hannah Dallmöller
