Whaling activities of fin whales

In the19th century, fin whales were occasionally killed by ships without decks. However, compared with later ships, this is safer for fin whales, because they are faster and often sink into the water when they are killed. However, steam-powered boats were introduced in the second half of the19th century, and the appearance of harpoons also had an impact on fin whales, because it allowed whalers to hunt and fix the arrested blue whales, fin whales and plug whales. When other whales are overfished, the whaling industry takes fin whales, which are still abundant, as alternative targets. The purpose of hunting baleen whales is mainly for blubber, blubber and baleen whales. Between 1904 and 1975, about 704,000 fin whales living in Antarctic waters were killed. 1925 After the appearance of steamboats with stern platforms, the number of whaling increased greatly every year. In 1937 alone, more than 28,000 fin whales were captured. From 1953 to 196 1, an average of 25,000 fin whales are caught every year. At 1962, because the number of fin whales is already quite rare, they began to kill whales. By 1974, less than 1000 fin whales were caught every year. The International Whaling Commission banned the killing of fin whales in the southern hemisphere on 1976.

According to records, about 46,000 fin whales were killed in the North Pacific between 1947 and 1987. However, this figure is incomplete, because the Soviet Union must have killed these whales illegally. Fin whales inhabiting the North Pacific Ocean were completely protected by the International Whaling Commission in 1976, while whaling was banned in the North Atlantic in 1987, except for some indigenous people and research purposes. Fin whales are listed as endangered species by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife and the World Conservation Union, and are also listed in the appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Under the procedures of the International Whaling Commission, Greenland in the northern hemisphere is still carrying out indigenous whaling activities. Killed whale meat and other products are widely circulated in the Greenland market, but it is illegal to export them. In the case of uncertain fin whales, the annual quota given to Greenland by the International Whaling Commission is 19. Iceland and Norway are not restricted by the suspension of commercial whaling activities by the International Whaling Commission because they oppose the ban. On June 5438+ 10, 2006, Icelandic fishery authorities authorized whalers to kill 9 fin whales before August 2007. But Japan studies fin whales in the southern hemisphere. This specially approved research will kill 65,438+00 whales every year between 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. In the plan of 2007-2008 and the following 12 season, 50 fin whales will be killed every year.