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The whaling controversy is the international environmental and ethical debate over whale hunting. The debate has focused on issues of sustainability and conservation as well as ownership and national sovereignty. Also raised in debates is the question of cetacean intelligence and the level of suffering which the animals undergo when caught and killed. Since the International Whaling Commission (IWC) 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling, the value of lethal sampling of whales for scientific research in order to establish catch quotas has also been debated. The value of whaling to fisheries as a method of controlling whales' perceived negative impact on fish stocks is another point of debate. ==Conservation status== Prior to the setting up of the IWC in 1946, unregulated whaling had depleted a number of whale populations to a significant extent, and several whales species were severely endangered. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) notes that the Atlantic population of gray whales was made extinct around the turn of the eighteenth century.〔 Examination of remains found in England and Sweden found evidence of a separate Atlantic population of gray whales existing up until 1675. Radiocarbon dating of subfossil remains has confirmed this, with whaling the possible cause. Whaling and other threats have led to at least five of the 13 great whales being listed as endangered.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Cetaceans listed as Endangered ) 〕 A past ban which was implemented around the 1960s has helped some of these species of whale to recover. According to IUCN's Cetacean Specialist Group (CSG), "Several populations of southern right whales, humpbacks in many areas, grey whales in the eastern North Pacific, and blue whales in both the eastern North Pacific and central North Atlantic have begun to show signs of recovery." Populations of many other whales species are also increasing.〔http://sciblogs.co.nz/science-life/2009/10/14/southern-right-whale-population-on-the-rebound/〕〔http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1068&context=usdeptcommercepub〕〔http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.50.5027〕 Other whale species, however (in particular the minke whale) have never been considered endangered. Despite this, opponents of whaling argue that a return to full-scale commercial whaling will lead to economic concerns overriding those of conservation, and there is a continuing battle between each side as to how to describe the current state of each species. For instance, conservationists are pleased that the sei whale continues to be listed as endangered, but Japan says that the species has swelled in number from 9,000 in 1978 to about 28,000 in 2002, so its catch of 50 sei whales per year is safe and the classification of endangered should be reconsidered for the North Pacific population. Some North Atlantic states have recently argued that fin whales should not be listed as endangered anymore and criticize the list for being inaccurate.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 Um stofnstærðir langreyðar og hrefnu við Ísland og flokkun IUCN )〕 IUCN has recorded studies showing that more than 40,000 individuals are present in the North Atlantic Ocean around Greenland, Iceland, and Norway.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = IUCN )〕 There is no information about fin whales in areas outside of the Northern Atlantic, where they still hold the status of being endangered. A complete list of whale conservation statuses as listed by the IUCN is given below. Note that, in the case of the blue and gray whales, the IUCN distinguishes the statuses of various populations. These populations, while not regarded as separate species, are considered sufficiently important in terms of conservation. * 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Whaling controversy」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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