Whale Hunting | A Brief History of Whaling Practices

Whale hunting is the practice of hunting whales for their meat, oil, and various body parts. The practice of hunting whales has existed for more than 5,000 years.

Whalers would hunt and kill many large whales for their body parts. Numerous industries would then use the whale’s various body parts to make a variety of goods such as transmission oil, candle wax, cooking margarine, jewelry which was made from whalebone, toys (such as chess pieces), work and hunting tools (made from the bone and ivory of certain species) and whale meat (which is now considered a delicacy in some countries).

While the history of whaling can be tracked back to 3,000 B.C., the booming whaling industry (which caused most of the deaths among various whale species) really emerged around the 17th century, which was propelled forward by an increased need for whale oil and other goods combined with advances in technology, which allowed whalers to hunt larger stocks of whales on a more frequent basis.

By the 18th and 19th centuries, whale hunting became a highly competitive & lucrative business, which caused more individuals and companies to invest in whaling to boost their profits. Unfortunately, as technology and the demand for whale parts increased, so did the death rates of whales which caused many species to become endangered quickly.

By the 20th-century, whale harvesting became a popular idea among some whalers. The introduction of factory ships furthered whale hunting efforts by allowing whales to be hunted in much larger numbers and more effectively.

As a result, whale populations became so diminished that new policies, regulations, and legal actions had to be taken to prevent further whale killing, so in 1931 international agreements were made between various countries to regulate and monitor the whaling industry prevent endangered species from being hunted and killed.

In 1946 the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (IWC) was signed by a collection of countries. The IWC was created to establish stricter rules and legal protections to help regulate whale killings.

Countries that agreed upon the rules and signed the petition agreed to monitor the practice of whaling in their country and abide by the policies made in the agreement to keep whale hunting to a minimum or eliminate the practice of whaling.

In 1986 the IWC made a further push and completely banned the practice of commercial whaling to allow various whale species time to recover from generations of whaling and hopefully repopulate their species.

While the IWC and other anti-whaling organizations have made great strides in protecting the whale species, some countries have chosen not to sign in to the agreement and instead chose to adopt their own policies regarding whale hunting and the policing of whaling in their respective countries.

In addition to help from various organizations, the introduction of cheap alternatives to whale oil also helped play a major role in eliminating whaling in many countries.

While the act of commercial whaling hasn’t completely stopped, it has been significantly reduced due to the help of activists and whale protection organizations, introduced regulation policies and organizations making great strides to protect endangered whales and other marine mammals, and awareness largely due to the creation of whale watching which begin in the 1950s and created a negative perception towards the act of hunting whales.

Nowadays, whales are mainly hunted for their meat which is considered a delicacy in some countries and by some cultures that share a deep emotional attachment to the history of whale hunting and what it means to them and their ancestors.