Quote:
Originally Posted by CZroe
Why should they be ashamed? They have always responsibly hunted sustainable species, unlike westerners.
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And that's why duck and deer populations are out of control. Duck populations are at an all time high this year. We had one of the best deer seasons in a long time last year.
The situation in the oceans is far and away different from the situation on land. On land, or at least in the US, strong private property rights exist. Most people take care of their land and have it managed by professionals that excel at maximizing long-term sustainability in order to maximize land value and profits.
The oceans fall prey to a phenomenon known as "the tragedy of the commons". Rivalry exists in that one party's use keeps another party from using it, but it is extremely difficult to exclude parties from any particular area. As a result, like in most fisheries, there is often over-harvesting. Licensing kind of alleviates this problem, but doesn't get down to the root causes.
Problem is, until fusion power or converting saltwater into freshwater becomes economically viable, sea water really isn't that useful. As a result, no private party would pay for the rights to any particular section of the ocean at this point in time. There are several other issues like enforcement, but modern technology allows us to minimize these costs.
Whaling would become very expensive if people had to lease a section of the ocean to hunt on, much like we have to lease land to hunt on in the US.