What threats are endangering the humpback whale?
The humpback has two natural threats: the killer whale and the shark. But the most dangerous threat for these creatures is human beings: • Commercial whaling Whales received full protection by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) with a moratorium in the commercial hunting in 1986. Three countries – Japan, Norway and Iceland – have used loopholes in its wording to unilaterally resume hunting of several whale species. One is the so-called “purpose of scientific research”. In order to stimulate the local market a recent plan of the Japanese government suggests to offer whale meat in school cafeterias as the storerooms are full of whale meat and blubber. In April 2010 whale meat was found in restaurants in Santa Monica and Seoul, South Korea and scientists identified several different whale species in sashimi including fin whale, sei whale and Antarctic minke whale. All of these are listed with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which prohibits the
