
People offer a number of reasons why whales should not be hunted. The main arguments are
1. "Whales are endangered"
Most species of whale are not endangered. This is what anti-whalers never tell you. Anti-whalers want you to believe that all whales are rare and close to extinction. The truth is that some whale species are endangered, and nobody wants to hunt those. Rather, hunting is for plentiful species such as the minke whale. There are at least one million minke whales in the sea, and controlled hunting of this whale is sensible and sustainable.
2. "Whales are too intelligent to hunt"
Whales are not that smart. If they were smart, why are they so easy to catch and why do they end up stranded on beaches? Whales are nothing but swimming cows. The nearest living realtive on land is the hippo.
3. "But whales can sing"
So can birds. Unlike birds the typical whale song recording is played back at 10x the real speed because whale song is so boring.
4. "But whales care for their young. They are social animals"
So do sheep, cattle, rats and any other mammal.
5. "But whales are special, magnificient animals"
Whales are nice enough. They are big and look good on television. But since the 1960s some people have given whales symbolic and mystical power. Some people almost worship whales, as if they were gods. This is New Age nonsense.
6. "Whaling is illegal"
There is a ban on commercial whaling. This should be lifted for species of whale that are plentiful.
7. "Whaling is barbaric and the animals suffer"
Whales live free lives in the sea till they are caught and killed. The end is quick. Who is better off? A whale or the Kentucky Fried Chicken you had for lunch?
8. "We can't allow whaling since whales were overhunted in the past"
No whale has gone extinct due to human hunting. The massive whaling in the 19th century was mainly for whale oil, used in lamps. This is irrelevant today. Modern whaling is for food and a limited hunt is no threat to their numbers.
9. "Nobody should eat whale meat"
Why not? It is tasty meat, similar to beef. If you can eat beef you can eat whale.
10. "We must preserve whales for the future"
Yes, and we can do that while allowing a responsible, limited hunting. How many whales to hunt each year is something science should deceide. Keep sentimentality out of it.
Whales are animals. Don't try to make them human.