The Save the Whales movement has been fairly effective, but so-called “scientific” whale hunting by the Japanese has been the most hated loophole. Now we have some actual, useful scientific results, but at a very high cost.
Some scientists have argued that the research results shouldn’t have been published, because it was unethical to collect the data through sham research that was thinly disguised commercial whale hunting.
Whales have been the subject of heated debate for centuries, including a raging controversy in the early 1800’s over whether or not a whale is a fish. What seems like a biological question blew up over religious implications and lucrative taxes on fish products.
Now will we see whales at the center of another culture clash, the global warming debate? For the sake of whales, I hope not.