Are the Japanese still whaling 2022?
Japan resumed commercial whaling in July 2019, and since then whaling activities have been confined to its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
Which Countries Still Hunt Whales? The countries where commercial whale hunting continues are Japan, Norway, and Iceland. Norway kills the most whales of the three countries. Iceland announced in February 2022 that it would stop its commercial whaling practices by 2024.
To the Japanese, it is hypocritical that Westerners consider it morally wrong to kill certain mammals such as whales but that they consider it acceptable to kill others such as kangaroos (in Australia) and baby cattle (in the United States).
In 2021, Japanese whalers set sail to hunt 171 minke whales, 187 Bryde's whales and 25 sei whales.
Fin whales, once considered endangered, have staged a stunning comeback. Researchers revealed massive feeding frenzies among fin whales near Elephant Island, Antarctica, with about 150 whales seen more than once — lunging and diving with mouths wide open — gulping down krill. The fin whales are back.
Over a thousand whales are killed each year for their meat and body parts to be sold for commercial gain. Their oil, blubber, and cartilage are used in pharmaceuticals and health supplements. Whale meat is even used in pet food, or served to tourists as a 'traditional dish'.
We need allies to help discredit Japan's so-called “scientific whaling”, including investigating further international legal action. This could, for example, come via the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the international law that defines nations' rights and responsibilities with regard to oceans.
On September 1st , 2022, in Taiji, Japan, dolphin hunters once again began the six-month-long season to chase, net, and capture dolphins for captivity. They will also slaughter the pod mates and family members of those dolphins chosen for the lucrative dolphin trade and life imprisonment.
Like other whaling nations, Japan argues hunting and eating whales are part of its culture. A number of coastal communities in Japan have indeed hunted whales for centuries but consumption only became widespread after World War Two when other food was scarce.
Do the Japanese eat whale?
The Japanese have been eating whale meat and utilizing whalebones, blubber and oil for more than two thousand years. Active hunting for large cetaceans has a history of more than 400 years.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, whaling is considered a part of “Norway's resource management [which] is based on the principle of sustainable use of natural resources”. Norwegian government officials also describe whaling as “something normal” and argue that whales are a good food source.

IWC now has 61 member countries including China , which banned commercial whaling in 1986. Commission regulations allow limited hunting in Japan and other countries in the name of scientific research.
Population Status
It is estimated that there are around 50,000 killer whales globally. Approximately 2,500 killer whales live in the eastern North Pacific Ocean—home to the most well-studied killer whale populations.
Canada, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Russia, South Korea, the United States and the Danish dependencies of the Faroe Islands and Greenland continue to hunt in the 21st century. Countries that support commercial whaling, notably Iceland, Japan, and Norway, wish to lift the IWC moratorium on certain whale stocks for hunting.
Current Population Size
The impact of this UME could be seen during our next two surveys, which estimated that the population had declined to approximately 20,500 whales in winter 2019/2020 and even further to approximately 16,650 whales in the winter of 2021/2022.
Sensitive to the acoustic environment
Whales have an acute sense of hearing. Like humans, who may suffer damage to their ears as a result of standing too close to a concert stage, marine mammals can also experience damage to their auditory systems.
But the 2022 distribution is due to a decline in prices. Whales are now selling to hedge their losses. This means they are taking advantage of any positive turn in the market to offload the digital asset. Although not all whales are selling, a few whales, such as Microstrategy, are accumulating.
Phytoplankton and the single-celled variety that krill eat are responsible for absorbing a massive amount of carbon from the atmosphere. In the absence of whales, krill would likely eat much of the free-floating phytoplankton on the ocean's surface, resulting in a marked acceleration in climate change.
The ship is based in Japan in Shimonoseki harbor and is owned by Tokyo-based Kyodo Senpaku, which is a subsidiary of the Institute of Cetacean Research.
Do blue whales still exist 2022?
Sadly, there are only about 10,000 to 25,000 blue whales left in the world today. Though it may sound like a large number, this is incredibly low.
Worldwide populations are estimated to be between 10,000 and 25,000 animals, about 10% of what they once were.
The Fin Whale has been found to be live up to 140 years (average 90 years) and is commonly found in Icelandic waters. This whale is also the second largest species in the world. The Blue Whale has been reported to live to over 100 years (average more 70 than years).
Generally depicted as a light-blue whale in full profile facing left, with its tail curving down towards is huge mouth. Shown with a white, textured underside, as a humpback or blue whale.
The Antarctic blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus ssp. Intermedia) is the biggest animal on the planet, weighing up to 400,000 pounds (approximately 33 elephants) and reaching up to 98 feet in length.
For decades, the Japanese government has provided the industry with annual subsidies for "scientific whaling," with Fishery Agency figures in 2019 coming to approximately 5.1 billion yen.
In 1972, Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it illegal for any person residing in the United States to kill, hunt, injure or harass all species of marine mammals, regardless of their population status.
Whaling is illegal in most countries, however Iceland, Norway, and Japan still actively engage in whaling . Over a thousand whales are killed each year for their meat and body parts to be sold for commercial gain. Their oil, blubber, and cartilage are used in pharmaceuticals and health supplements.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_Japan
- https://www.dw.com/en/is-japans-whaling-industry-going-under-as-demand-sinks/a-62626007
- https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/fin-whales-considered-endangered-staged-stunning-comeback-rcna36982
- https://us.whales.org/our-4-goals/stop-whaling/
- https://www.motherjones.com/food/2015/12/japan-stirs-whale-controversy-its-tiny-appetite-big-fish/
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1186214/japan-whaling-number/
- https://baleinesendirect.org/en/can-whales-be-deaf-or-blind/
- http://www.china.org.cn/english/environment/132013.htm
- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-48592682
- https://www.americanoceans.org/facts/population-of-blue-whales/
- https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/west-coast/science-data/gray-whale-population-abundance
- https://specialtours.is/wildlife-adventures/how-long-can-whales-live/
- https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/killer-whale
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_the_United_States
- https://cryptoslate.com/research-whales-selling-at-the-3rd-most-aggressive-rate-in-btc-history/
- https://savedolphins.eii.org/news/taiji-dolphin-slaughter-begins-again
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisshin_Maru
- https://emojipedia.org/whale/
- https://www.yeahlifestyle.com/what-can-happen-if-whales-become-extinct/
- https://earth.org/whaling-in-norway/
- https://us.whales.org/our-4-goals/stop-whaling/whaling-in-japan/
- https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/meet-the-biggest-animal-in-the-world
- https://sentientmedia.org/whale-hunting/
- https://whalescientists.com/the-blue-whale-january-2022/
- https://www.icrwhale.org/eng/59FoodCulture.pdf
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling
- https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/3-ways-can-shut-japanese-governments-whaling-program/