THE PASSING OF THE WHALE 



Since labor is very cheap in Japan and especially 

 because each whale is worth an extraordinary amount 

 for food, operations can be carried on long after they 

 would be unprofitable in almost any other part of the 

 world ; thus the extermination of whales will undoubt- 

 edly be very nearly complete in the Island Empire. 



The flesh of the humpback is most highly esteemed 

 for food by the Japanese and this species was conse- 

 quently very ardently pursued. Although most abun- 

 dant of all a few years ago, humpbacks are now so 

 rare that only twenty-five or thirty are taken yearly 

 tt Japan. The blue whales are disappearing al- 

 -inrjst as rapidly and it will not be long before the 

 Japanese will have to depend entirely upon the fin- 

 hack, gray, and sei whales. 



Unfortunately there appears to be a universal be- 

 lief that shore whaling is a short-lived industry and 

 that everyone must get for himself the greatest pos- 

 sible share of the profits without regard for the future. 

 It is commercial greed in its worst form, because in 

 the mad scramble for quick money, such pernicious 

 operations as those of the floating factory are in- 

 augurated, and but a small part of the real value of 

 each whale is secured after its life has been taken. 



My plea is for proper legislation which will force 

 the industry to develop its great untouched possibili- 

 ties and save it for the future while yielding a reason- 

 able profit during the present. 



But it must be intelligent legislation, for "blanket" 

 laws are worse than none at all. Conditions vary with 

 every place where shore whaling is conducted and 



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