Commercial whaling continued unabated through the first third of the twentieth century, but it became increasingly clear that the whales were disappearing. Little by little, efforts were mounted to force an end to whaling, starting with the creation of the International Whaling Commission in 1946, which attempted to set annual quotas.

Sperm Whale

Finally, in 1986, an international moratorium was placed on all commercial whaling. Although a few countries continue to hunt whales, there is little international support for this industry. Under existing conventions, some indigenous peoples are also permitted to catch a certain number of whales per year for subsistence purposes.

Sei Whale

Despite restrictions on hunting, populations of many whale species remain critically low. Humpback and gray whales have made encouraging comebacks, but others, such as sperm, sei, and fin whales, have not. The blue whale is the largest creature alive; a model of one hangs in the Museum's Hall of Ocean Life. There may be fewer than 500 of these giants left worldwide.

Fin Whale

The End of Whaling? Not Yet....

Years of declining profits had already brought an end to commercial whaling in many countries before the declaration of the international moratorium in 1986. However, a few countries have not joined in the moratorium, and Japan and Norway still permit small fisheries in South Atlantic minke whales. Because of the continuing demand for whale meat in Asian markets, a substantial outlaw trade in whales also exists.

Whale meat has been considered a delicacy in Japan for centuries. This advertisement, from the 1950s, illustrates several choice cuts of frozen whale meat.

Minke whale meat can be legally purchased in Japan, which permits several hundred of these whales to be caught each year "for scientific purposes." (Photo taken in 1990s.)

DNA evidence is a new weapon in the war against the illegal slaughter of whales. Because whale species differ from one another in their genetic makeup, DNA from their tissues can be used to construct unique "fingerprints." Recently, investigators fingerprinted samples of meat from markets in various parts of Japan. In several cases, DNA extracted from purchased whale meat was found to belong to protected species, including humpback and fin whales.