Quote:
Originally posted by Antagony
Yeah. Let them hunt their whales. Whales have many uses, very little is wasted. Not to mention that people shouldn't interfere with other cultures.
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http://www.seaworld.org/AnimalBytes/...redwhales.html
species population status and listings*
northern right whale 500-1,000 endangered (ESA, IUCN)
southern right whale 3,000 endangered (ESA); vulunerable (IUCN)
bowhead whale 8,000 endangered (ESA, IUCN)
blue whale 10,000-14,000 endangered (ESA, IUCN)
fin whale 120,000-150,000 endangered (ESA); vulnerable (IUCN)
sei whale 50,000 endangered (ESA)
humpback whale 10,000+ endangered (ESA, IUCN)
sperm whale 200,000 endangered (ESA)
vaquita a few hundred endangered (ESA)
baiji about 300 endangered (ESA, IUCN)
Indus susu 500 endangered (ESA, IUCN)
Ganges susu unknown vulnerable (IUCN)
boto unknown; thought to be declining vulnerable (IUCN)
franciscana unknown not listed
tucuxi unknown not listed
Hector's dolphin 3,000-4,000 vulnerable (IUCN)
Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin unknown; thought to be depleted not listed
Atlantic humpbacked dolphin unknown, but depleted not listed
*"ESA" denotes listing according to the Endangered Species Act. "IUCN" denotes listing according to the IUCN/World Conservation Union Red Databook.
I don't see how whale hunting can be justified. Cultural reasons don't justify the harvesting of a species that is endangered. Extinction is forever and even allowing minimal harvesting of whales would seem to be a step down the proverbial slippery slope.