Whaling in the Philippines

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Whaling in the Philippines refers to the catching of whales in Philippine waters. Evidence of whaling in the archipelago was recorded as early as the seventeenth century.^[1]

Whaling has been banned in the Philippines since 1997.

History

There is limited documentation of whaling in the Philippines. Filipino whalers often caught Bryde whales in the past. American and British whalers often caught sperm whales in Sulu, Mindoro and the Celebes. British whaling in the Philippines were reported to have occurred from 1820 to 1840 while American whaling was reported to have happened in 1825 and 1880 alongside local whaling by Filipinos in Bohol.^[1]

There was a short period of commercial whaling in the Philippines from 1981 to 1986. Philippine whalers fished within Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but it was reported that they also hunted Bryde whales in international waters.^[1] The Philippines was also a member of the International Whaling Commission from 1981 to 1988.^[2]

Ban on whaling

Whaling in the Philippines has been illegal since 1997 under Fisheries Administrative Order 185 which was issued in 1991. The order initially included only the catching, selling, or transporting of dolphins but this was amended in 1997 to include all Cetaceans including whales.^[1]

The calls for a ban on whaling and dolphin hunting in the Philippines were raised by both domestic and international groups after local whaling and dolphin hunting traditions of residents of Pamilacan in Bohol were featured in newspapers in the 1990s. As a compromise for residents of Pamilacan who were dependent on whaling and dolphin hunting, whale and dolphin watching is being promoted in the island as a source of tourism income.^[3]

Despite the ban, it is believed that the whaling industry in the Philippines did not cease to exist but went underground.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Acebes, Jo Marie. "Historical whaling in the Philippines: origins of 'indigenous subsistence whaling', mapping whaling grounds and comparison with current known distribution: An HMAP Asia Project Paper" (PDF). Asia-Research-Centre. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
^ "Membership and Contracting Governments". International Whaling Commission. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
^ Acebes, Jo Marie (6 April 2012). "In the wild: Bohol's dolphins and whales". GMA News. Retrieved 4 January 2014.

v t e Whaling
History of whaling
By country	Argentina Australia Western Australia Basque Country Brazil Canada Pacific Northwest Chile Faroe Islands Germany Greenland Iceland Japan Madagascar Netherlands New Zealand Norway Philippines Russia Scotland Seychelles South Africa United Kingdom United States
Harpoons	Explosive harpoon Jarmann harpoon rifle One-flue harpoon Toggling harpoon Two-flue harpoon
Hunting type	Aboriginal whaling Dolphin drive hunting Drift whale Sperm whaling Subsistence hunting of the bowhead whale
Implements	Whaling ship Whaleboat Grindaknívur Harpoon cannon Head spade Paledang Try pot Trywork
Products	Ambergris Ambrein Baleen Blubber Cetyl alcohol Muktuk Scrimshaw Spermaceti Sperm oil Tabua Whale feces, meat, oil
Regulations	Blue Whale Unit International Whaling Commission International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling Institute of Cetacean Research Whale conservation
Sanctuaries	Australian Whale Sanctuary Indian Ocean Whale Sanctuary South Pacific Whale Sanctuary Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary

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History

Ban on whaling

See also

References