Norway is an independent country with a remarkable culture and history. While whaling may not be a popular or mainstream form of fishing, to undermine the right of the people of Norway to decide whether to continue the practice of whale fishing is preposterous. The government, as elected by the citizens of Norway, have decided to continue their whaling operations.
If one decides to refer to whaling as whale murder, then I do hope one also remembers, while he or she walks the aisles of the supermarket, that hamburger is cow murder, pork chops are pig murder, and chicken nuggets are chicken murder. Is it really that much better that these animals are more plentiful? They often like in horrid conditions of the factory farm. Would whaling be more acceptable if it were possible to raise the whales in an aquaculture environment?
Whales may not be necessary for diet, but neither is salmon. Yet the world on a large scale has no problem with consuming far more salmon than can be sustained. Is this because salmon are much less pleasing to the eyes?
Furthermore, why not ban the tobacco farm in the Southern US? Tobacco is not necessary, and the land could be better used to help alleviate the world’s poverty. But that will never be done. Tobacco farming in the United States has a long history, and is of vital cultural and economic importance in a number of regions. The same can be said to whaling in Norway.
This does not mean that everybody needs to accept whaling as an inevitable truth. Norwegians that do not agree can talk to their government representative and let their voice be heard. If the people of this free society believe that the practice of whaling should end, the government will obey. Members of other countries can do their part by not participating in whaling. Do not buy Norwegian products which are the outcome of the whaling practice. Request that your own government ban the import of whales. But to deny an independent nation its right to pursue an activity so important in terms of culture and economics would be disastrous to the democratic process the Western world holds so dear, and while I personally do not agree with the practice of whaling, that does not mean that I have any right to deny an entire nation of people their ability to decide their political economy as they see fit.
