Commercial Whaling

Iceland
Not following IWC
Iceland resumed commercial whaling in 2006. The annual quota is set to 30 minke whales 9 fin whales.

Japan
Using rationale of scientific use proposed take 2005 100 Sei Whales, 10 Sperm Whales, 50 Humpback Whales, 50 Fin Whales, 50 Bryde’s Whales, 850 Minke Whales

Various forms of hunting take place, e.g. drive , hand-held harpoon hunt, boats equipped with a harpoon cannon.

Norway
Not following IWC, commerical whaling
540 Atlantic Minke Whale

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Aboriginal subsistence whaling

United States and Russia
Native people of Alaska and Chukotka (Russia) - Bowhead 67 whales a year from a population of 8000

Eastern North Pacific gray whales native people of Chukotka (Russia) and Washington State ) - 140 in any one year.

Russia - Using skin boats and wooden whaleboats, whalers take the whales using harpoons, spears and – for the last two years – American darting guns.

Canada
Through the Inuit. Not part of IWC.
About 800 beluga and narwhal are hunted annually in Canada. Two bowheads were caught in 1996, none in 1997, one in 1998 and none in 1999. This year there has been issued a licence to take one bowhead.

Greenland
Inuit whalers kill around 175 whales per year
west coat 90% of catch
typical 150 minke and 10 fin whales

The fin whale and most of the minkes are hunted with boats equipped with a mounted cannon. Narwhal and belugas are being hunted from kayaks and small boats, using rifles and hand-held harpoons.

West Greenland fin whales (taken by Greenlanders) - An annual strike limit of 19 whales

West Greenland common minke whales (taken by Greenlanders) - An annual strike limit of 200 whales

West Greenland bowhead whales (taken by Greenlanders) - An annual strike limit of 2 whales

East Greenland common minke whales (taken by Greenlanders) - An annual strike limit of 12 whales

Carribean
short-finned pilot whale, pygmy killer whale and spinner dolphins.

Humpback whales taken by St Vincent and the Grenadines (Carribean Islands), quota for 2008-2012, 20 humpback whales

Faroe Islands (islands in Northern Europe)
iwc sanctioned – continuation of tradition of whaling
950 long-finned pilot whales

The pilot whales are caught in whale drives. Boats gather in a wide semi-circle behind the whales and drive them towards the beach where they become stranded. The whale is killed with a sharp knife cutting down to the spinal chord and severing the major arteries leading to the whale’s brain.

Indonesia
No data
Subsistence hunting

International Whaling Commission

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Survey of Whales
Species, population size, oceans where it is found, conservation status

Baleen whales

Bowhead Whale
10,000
artic
conservation dependent

Atlantic Northern Right Whale
300
endangered

Pacific Northern Right Whale
200
endangered

Southern Right Whale
7,500
Southerm hemisphere
conservation dependent

Fin Whale
30,000
all oceans
endangered

Sei Whale
54,000
all oceans
endangered

Bryde's Whale
90,000
all oceans
conservation status not evaluated

Pygmy Bryde's Whale
temperate
conservation status not evaluated

Blue Whale
2,300
all oceans
endangered

Northern Minke Whale
200,000
Northern oceans
near threatened

Southern Minke Whale
760,000
Southern oceans
near threatened

Humpback Whale
50,000
all oceans
vulnerable

Gray Whale
26,000
Pacific ocean
conservation dependent in eastern pacific
critical in western pacific

Pygmy Right Whale
southern ocean
least concern

Toothed whales

Sperm Whale
population size unknown
all oceans
vulnerable

Northern Bottlenose Whale
10,000
North Atlantic ocean
conservation dependent

Southern Bottlenose Whale
500,000
Southern ocean
conservation dependent

Narwhal
50,000
arctic
no conservation status, no data

Beluga
100,000
arctic
vulnerable

Killer whale
100,000
all oceans
conservation dependent

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