Saving whales is not just at the heart of our Ocean Campaign, it’s the reason why the Environmental Investigation Agency was set up in the first place.
EIA was born out of two ground-breaking whaling investigations. In 1983, three friends, Allan Thornton, Jennifer Lonsdale and Dave Currey, and their crew sailed to Norway and successfully documented the hunting of minke whales. The documentation brought world attention to the hunt and contributed to Norway’s whaling quota being cut by two-thirds.
In 1984, Jennifer and Dave travelled to the Faroe Islands to investigate its pilot whale hunt [link to ‘Investigating pilot whale hunts in the Faroe Islands’ further down]. It was the world’s largest whale hunt, yet hardly anyone knew about it.
Later that year, Allan, Dave and Jennifer agreed to found EIA and launched the Faroe Islands pilot whale campaign, including EIA’s first-ever report Pilot Whaling in the Faroe Islands, produced by hand, on the findings of the 1984 investigation.
Commercial whaling was banned in 1986, yet the killing has continued. EIA has campaigned constantly to uphold and strengthen the ban and to address other threats to whales, dolphins and porpoises such as climate change, pollution and bycatch (unintential catching).
Our campaign to save whales
Tackling unsustainable commercial whaling
EIA’s first official campaign in 1985 was to expose and campaign against the Faroese pilot whale hunt. Since that time, we have steadfastly campaigned for an end to all commercial whaling as it is cruel, unnecessary and unsustainable.
Investigating pilot whale hunts in the Faroe Islands
Before EIA existed, in 1984 Jennifer Lonsdale and Dave Currey travelled to the Faroe Islands to investigate the pilot whale hunt.
Although the International Whaling Commission (IWC) had agreed an international ban on commercial whaling, this did not apply to pilot whales as they are considered to be small whales. The Faroese Government had also instigated a hunt of up to five fin whales a year, supposedly for ‘scientific’ research.
One morning we came across a kill of 54 whales that had just taken place in Fuglafjørður, so we joined the people on the beach. A team of officials measured and marked the whales.
Wading about in whale blood all afternoon was unpleasant, but we knew we were gathering important information and learned so much. Many people seemed ignorant of the global opposition to the hunting of whales and the ban on commercial whaling.
Jennifer Lonsdale OBE, EIA Founder and Senior Ocean Campaigner
On their return, Dave and Jennifer typed up a report on their findings, Pilot Whaling in the Faroe Islands, made 100 copies and distributed them. This was EIA’s first-ever report.
The success of the Norway and Faroe Islands trips encouraged Lonsdale, Thornton and Currey to form EIA in September 1984. A year later, they returned to the Faroes where they documented the killing of 200 whales. The films and photographs they took were broadcast around the world, putting pressure on the Faroese Government to end this cruel slaughter, which frequently left animals thrashing in agony and suffering a protracted death.
EIA’s second report on the hunt, Pilot Whaling in the Faroe Islands, examined the background and history of the slaughter of pilot whales and assessed the claims made by Faroese authorities in support of the kills.
It concluded that much-heralded changes in domestic whale hunting regulations amounted to nothing more than a public relations exercise to diffuse international opposition.
As a result of EIA interventions in the Faroe Islands:
the numbers of whales killed was significantly reduced;
regulations were changed to eliminate the worst of the cruelty;
the Faroese Government decided to stop fin whaling.
When the founders of EIA first visited the Faroe Islands in 1984, it was a crucial moment for commercial whaling. A moratorium had been agreed in 1982, but was not due to come into force until 1986.
Here we take a look at the history of commercial whaling from the 1860s through to the moratorium in 1986 and up until the present day.
A history of commercial whaling
The shameful history of commercial whaling is well documented. The 1860s are recognised as the beginning of the modern commercial whaling era, which grew rapidly with the introduction of explosive grenade harpoons combined with steam-powered ships.
During the 20th century, 2.9 million whales were killed by the whaling industry, which is probably the largest removal of any animal in terms of total biomass in human history.
20th century whale slaughter
2.9
million whales
killed by the whaling industry in the 20th century
90%
blue whales
killed in the 20th century
70%
sperm whales
killed in the 20th century
Whale populations largely destroyed
As a result of commercial whaling on such a massive scale, whale populations were destroyed, with sperm whales reduced to about 30 per cent of their pre-whaling population and blue whales depleted by up to 90 per cent. Some estimates suggest that the overall biomass of large whales was reduced to less than 20 per cent of original levels.
Fin and sperm whales comprised more than 50 per cent of all large whales killed, but a range of other species were also targeted, including blue, sei, Bryde’s, minke, right and gray whales. Population after population was depleted, with some completely eradicated. Blue whales were reduced to approximately one per cent of their historical abundance in the Southern Hemisphere.
Moratorium on commercial whaling agreed
As early as the 1920s, it was recognised that whales were over-exploited and the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up in 1946. Initially a whalers’ club, the IWC gradually increased its focus on protecting and saving whales.
In the 1960s, whaling peaked, with an estimated 437,920 animals killed in the Southern Hemisphere and 265,315 in the Northern Hemisphere.
The hunting of blue and humpback whales was banned globally in 1966 and the hunting of fin whales in the Southern Hemisphere was banned in 1976.
In a landmark agreement in 1982, IWC members approved a moratorium on commercial whaling that became effective in 1986.
Whale populations slow to recover
This moratorium saved several whale species from extinction and allowed some populations to recover. However, humpback, southern right, north Atlantic right and Antarctic blue whales remain at a fraction of their pre-exploitation levels, while others such as sperm, fin and possibly sei whales are also still significantly reduced.
Japan, Norway and Iceland are still killing whales
Despite the 1986 moratorium and the promising redirection of the IWC towards a science-based cetacean conservation body, Japan, Norway and Iceland continue commercial whaling.
Japan, Norway and Iceland have killed more than 40,000 whales since 1986.
Japan allowed the hunting of whales in the Antarctic, North Pacific and its coastal waters. Initially, it was carried out under objection to the moratorium but Japan withdrew the objection under pressure from the US and then started whaling for ‘scientific research’. In 2019, Japan left the IWC and now carries out commercial whaling in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone;
Norway lodged an objection to the moratorium which allows it to continue commercial whaling;
Iceland has a disputed reservation to the moratorium, which it has used to justify commercial catch quotas since 2006. In 2006, the country resumed commercial whaling, targeting endangered fin whales as well as minke whales.
Whaling in Iceland
Public support for whaling has plummeted in Iceland, with only one per cent of Icelanders saying they eat whale meat regularly
Whaling belongs only in the history books – and history, in both the near- and long-term, will judge Iceland harshly for continuing to exploit endangered marine species.
Clare Perry, EIA Ocean Campaign Advisor
Whaling in Norway
Before the moratorium took effect, Norway killed an average of 2,000 minke whales a year
In 1993, Norway resumed commercial whaling under its objection to the moratorium.
Norway formally lodged an objection to the ban, allowing its commercial whaling industry to continue after 1986. Initially, this was done under the ‘special permit’ provision which allows IWC Contracting Governments to “kill, take and treat whales for purposes of scientific research”.
Since 2014, the number of vessels engaged in the Norwegian whaling industry has declined and the number of whales killed consistently falls far short of the quotas issued by the Government.
Whaling in Japan
At least 3,500 supermarkets have stopped selling whale and dolphin products in Japan as a result of EIA’s campaigning
In a 2012 survey, 85 per cent of Japanese citizens polled opposed the use of taxpayer yen to build a new whaling factory ship.
After becoming bound to the global ban in 1987, the Japanese Government began issuing special permits for lethal research – initially in the Antarctic and later in the North Pacific too. The country’s ‘scientific’ whaling has been repeatedly criticised by scientists, governments and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as by the IWC.
Although Japan initially complied with an ICJ ruling in 2014 and suspended its hunt, it quickly replaced the condemned research programme with another, which proposed to kill up to 333 minke whales a year until 2027.
In 2018, after failing once again to persuade the IWC to sanction the resumption of commercial whaling, the Japanese Government announced its decision to leave the IWC and carry out commercial whaling in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. A 2019 catch quota of 52 minke whales, 150 Bryde’s whales and 25 sei whale was set by Japan. EIA witnessed the landing of the first minke in Japan’s new pirate whale hunt on 1 July 2019.
In its third year, the whaling industry is still relying on Government subsidies and demand for whale products from the hunts is low. Despite this, Kyodo Senpaku, the company that operates the whaling, has announced its intention to build a new whaling mothership, which will be operational by 2024.
Although viewed as the main market globally for edible whale products, whale meat is not commonly eaten in Japan. Major Japanese supermarkets and online retailers, including chains such as AEON, Ito-Yokado, Seiyu and Rakuten, have now stopped selling whale and dolphin products.
Why the killing must stop
Propped up by Government subsidies and support, commercial whaling in the 21st century flies in the face of international environmental agreements while serving no economic or nutritional need.
Commercial whaling:
causes inherent and unacceptable suffering to thousands of animals;
deprives the marine environment and coastal communities of the multiple ecological, climate and economic benefits that whales provide;
undermines the conservation of targeted populations that face ever-increasing threats from other human activities.
It is time for commercial whaling to end and for IWC Contracting Governments to reaffirm the continuation of the moratorium and promote to the fullest extent the conservation of all cetaceans.
How you can help us save whales, dolphins and porpoises
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Given our decades of experience in saving whales, dolphins and porpoises, we have the expertise, knowledge and connections to protect them from the many threats they face.
Please support our work to protect cetaceans from hunting, bycatch, chemical and plastic pollution, entanglement, ship strikes and climate change. Any donation you are able to make today will help us save whales, dolphins and porpoises and preserve the oceans that are their home.
