Does WWF support commercial whaling?
Answer… WWF does not support commercial whaling, and believes that no social or scientific need justifies the number of whales being hunted around the world today. Trade in whale products, and the financial incentives associated with it, have historically proven impossible to control, and threaten truly endangered cetaceans that end up in otherwise legal markets. Since a few countries in the International Whaling Commission (IWC) refuse to stop commercial whaling, it is imperative that new safeguards be agreed on that will contain their activities and bring them back under full IWC control at the earliest possible date. WWF also strongly urges placing a permanent ban on commercial whaling in all high seas areas (by extending the prohibition on large-scale factory ship whaling to include minke whales); maintaining the current ban on international trade in whale products; and immediately ending the flagrant violation of the scientific whaling exemption.
