I have been blasting hunting of cetaceans in a few posts lately, and those posts are getting a lot of views. The issue of whaling, or rather the controversy of whaling, seems to have surfaced with the public lately. My views on dolphins and whales become very obvious when you search the category box on this blog for “Cetaceans.” Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading Dan Wall’s piece on whaling from the Alaska Native perspective. Here is an excerpt:

The issue isn’t simply a question of whether or not to support or oppose hunting, fur, whaling, and so on; it’s also a question of how you frame the issues. There is a big difference between the commercial fur industry and the hand-made clothes of locals who’ve eaten the meat previously kept warm by that same fur. Likewise, there is a big difference between a whale taken for commercial purposes and those whose blubber will be shared out to the community. Whether or not that settles the issue is another question, but quite often I think people simply fail to notice the difference.

— Dan Wall

Check out Dan’s full article at Northier Than Thou for an entirely different angle on whaling.