Whale Watching: Trouble on the Small Whaling Island of Bequia

Abstract

Since 1987, the harvesting of humpback whales by the Bequians of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been approved by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) as a form of “aboriginal subsistence whaling.” However, in 2012, a non-profit organization launched an anti-whaling, pro-whale watching campaign, because the chairperson of the organization thought that whaling in Bequia was not aboriginal subsistence whaling. In this paper, I address issues that have resulted from the campaign, and explore the future of whaling in Bequia.