Following the renewed tension over whale hunting in Japan, and preceding the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission, eftec was approached by WWF and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WSDC) in late April to investigate whether commercial whaling is economically viable in its own right or it has only been made viable due to government subsidies.

The research focused on Japan and Norway and included analysis of costs associated with whaling; market prices and demand for whale products; conflicts of the whale hunting trade with whale watching; and direct and indirect government subsidies of the whale trade. The data suggest that the costs of whale hunting are higher than the economic benefits.

To download a summary of our research click here. For an electronic copy of the full technical report please email us.