The whaling issue

The International Whaling Commission verges on extinction because of disagreement between those who support sustainable whaling subject to scientifically based regulation and those who assert that no commercial whaling should be allowed despite scientific findings that some whale stocks can sustain regulated commercial harvests. This article reviews legal, political, biological and cultural components of whaling and suggests a simple approach that will correct the present untenable situation, allow sustainable use of an abundant food resource critical to many communities’ well-being, and continue protection afforded to stocks of great whales that were severely overfished in the past.