Here in America, the thought of hunting whales might seem a bit crazy. However, in Japan, whales are slaughtered every single day. In fact, the country of Japan hunts 1,000 whales in the Antarctic every year. Japan claims that the primary reason for killing these whales is to gather scientific research. However, controversy over whether the real reason these whales are being killed and overfished is to use whale meat in food has arisen. On June 9, 2010, a Japanese boat went out in the sea to catch a total of 260 whales throughout the summer. Japan states that they are slaughtering these whales so they can research the feeding patterns of these whales. The country of Australia is currently requesting international courts to take notice of the immense amount of whales Japan is slaughtering. If the overfishing of these whales keeps up, who knows how long it will be until they are extinct? As of now, the northern right whale, southern right whale, bowhead whale, blue whale, fin whale, sei whale, humpback whale, and sperm whale are all endangered. That list seems way too long.Sources
"Endangered Whales." Fact Sheet - Endangered Whales of the World. Seaworld, n.d. Web. 9 Jun 2010. <http://www.seaworld.org/
"Controversial Japan whaling fleet sets goal of 260 animals." Controversial Japan whaling fleet sets goal of 260 animals. CNN, 2010. Web. 9 Jun 2010. <http://news.blogs.cnn.com/
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