Japan, a staunch pro-whaling country, has announced it intends to monitor whales via satellite, thus sparking severe criticism from the environmental community. Japan is one of the few countries that still kills whales despite a 1986 moratorium on whale hunting by the International Whale Commission (IWC).

Japan claims it kills whales only for research purposes and that the satellite tracking is intended to further its research. But critics argue that Japan is abusing a loophole in the IWC's rules and the satellite tracking data will only serve to further Japan's intentions to resume full-scale whaling.

The conservation of whales—like all marine animals—is a complex undertaking. Marine mammals can have extensive ranges that defy the boundaries of any one country. Their movements can be difficult or impossible to monitor and some species follow migratory routes that we know little about. The blue whale illustrates just how little we know about cetaceans—it the largest animal on our planet yet we don't even know where they go to breed.

Whale conservation relies on our having a way to measure population sizes, but it is notoriously difficult to establish population data for whales. The IWC publishes its population estimates on their website but includes the following disclaimer:

"Estimating the abundance of animals that spend most of their time below the surface is difficult ... Because of the considerable scientific uncertainty over the numbers of whales of different species and in different geographical stocks, the International Whaling Commission decided in 1989 that it would be better not to give whale population figures except for those species/stocks which have been assessed in some detail." ~ IWC Website

Perhaps the greatest challenge to whale conservation is cooperation. Whale protection requires a synchronized international effort to protect the world's oceans. Sadly, too often vast differences of opinion arise among nations concerning how, and even if, protection is to proceed. The case of Japan illustrates an extreme pro-whaling stance that for now remains a minority within the IWC.

Find out more:

• Japan's Whale-Seeking Satellite (BBC News)
• Whale Population Estimates (IWC)
• An Introduction to the IWC (IWC)
• Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS)