This history is an important part of why the Japanese continue to hunt whales. Fishing is currently the only large-scale resource exploitation that is going on in Antarctica. Iceland Will Finally End Commercial Whaling 00:35 . The west pacific whale is one of the worst affected whale, with only about 100 left. Why Japan's exit from international whaling treaty may actually benefit ... Whaling in the Southern Ocean began in earnest in the early 1900s and grew very quickly. In the late nineteenth century the whaling industry was transformed by the development of steam powered ships, enabling the hunting of faster blue and fin whales, and of the explosive harpoon, enabling further reach and increased accuracy. This is the reason why most of whaling ships come to Antarctica every year for hunting. Brief Summary of Whaling in the Antarctic Tom Krepitch (2014) Modern whaling is much different than it was in the time of Herman Melville's Moby Dick.In the nineteenth century, whale hunters would take handheld weapons to sea in a small boat and, when they caught a whale, they would bring it back to shore to convert it into products like oil, margarine, soap and corsets. Since then they have taken over 6,879 minke whales . Effects of sealing and whaling in Antarctica . Decline in krill threatens Antarctic wildlife, from whales to penguins ... Why do the Japanese hunt whales? | Don't Kill Me..!! - Blogger In Antarctica, does a burgeoning krill fishery threaten wildlife? Oil spills. Antarctica - photo credit. Regulations have been bought in to ban all commercial whaling. This could cause harm or even death. . What do humans do in Antarctica? Whalewatching is a $2 billion industry and a viable alternative to whaling. Britain's abandoned whale hunting stations - the Guardian