Why did the International Whaling Commission (IWC) invoke a ban on commercial whaling? What three ways exist to legally hunt whales and which countries are involved?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

In response to overhunting and population collapses, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) was established in 1946 to manage the commercial and subsistence hunting of large whales. In 1986, the 72 member nations of the IWC passed a ban on commercial whaling in order to allow for whale species such as the right, blue, bowhead, and humpback whales to recover from overhunting. Legal hunting of whales is still permissible in three ways. First, some nations such as Norway continue to hunt whales under an objection to the IWC ban. Second, some countries such as Japan permit the killing of whales for scientific purposes. Finally, some countries such as Greenland and Russia permit subsistence whaling by native cultures in order to satisfy the nutritional needs of the community.