Recently in 2019, Bill S203, Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphin Act, was passed into law by the Parliament of Canada. The act bans the keeping, breeding, and trading of whales for entertainment purposes. In just these last few decades the rights of whales have changed so much.
On top of whaling, there are other risks at play for whales. Between fishing nets, environmental changes, boat collisions, and general captivity, there are many ways that whales are in danger and deserve protection. The Whale Sanctuary Project is able to provide a safe space for whales that have already been affected by one or more of these issues.
Whales have been hunted since 800 A.D. Parts of their bodies have been used for things such as food, shoe polish, or even tennis racket strings. Whales have been a part of the world economy for longer than it may seem. All parts of whales have been overexploited in commercial ways.
For the last 50 years or so laws and regulations have been passed in order to finally protect whales. In 1971, the International Whaling Convention (IWC) was founded to oversee the worldwide whaling industry. In 1986, the IWC declared a temporary ban on commercial whaling. This ban is technically still in effect, however, there are several countries that do not honor it, such as Norway and Japan. This is the main issue with IWC, any country that does not wish to comply may file an objection and become exempt from whaling restrictions.
In 1972, the United States Congress passed the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPAS), making it illegal for anyone residing in the U.S. to kill, hunt, injure, harass, or important species of marine mammals. This was amended recently in 2022, adding a ban on importing, taking, or harming whales.
This directly led to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973, designed to stop the killing of species listed as endangered.
