Whaling not necessarily incompatible with tourism

The tradition of whaling on the Grenadine island of Bequia need not be viewed as wholly incompatible with tourism.

Subsistence whaling has been a tradition on Bequia for centuries and the practice is classified by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) under the regulations concerning aboriginal whaling.

Our whalers still hunt whales from their small open boats, using methods which have not changed very much from those used by the early whalers.

But there is a great fear, not unjustified, that if we continue to catch humpback whales, we could set back the progress we have been making in attracting visitors to our shores.

Certainly, the image of the Bequia sea turned crimson from the blood of the giant mammal while it is being slaughtered and sliced is not for the faint hearted. But, not a single piece of the whale is wasted and every pound of meat is usually eagerly snapped up by locals who consider the meat a delicacy which should be eaten to promote good health.

And although some of the whale meat and other body parts are sold by the whalers to compensate them for their efforts, what takes place in Bequia cannot by any stretch of the imagination be considered commercial whaling by international definitions.

Moreover, the population of the humpback whale is increasing and no longer threatened, as it was three decades ago.

The exploitation of the resources of our seascape in a sustainable fashion is consistent with honouring our historic traditions. Taking one or two whales every few years allows us to remember and give reverence to our ancestors who taught us how to live with and by the sea.

And in a modern age where some whale populations are indeed stressed through over fishing, our production and consumption patterns can be a model to the rest of the world.

Our participation in and adherence to the international treaties on the catching of whales show our commitment to a rule bound international order that can model broader protection strategies for environmental preservation.

Therefore as we ponder the development of our tourism industry, with heritage tourism as a sub-sector, we ought not to be defensive or apologetic about our whaling tradition. Rather we should proudly tell the stories of ‘whalermen’ like Athneil Ollivierre and spruce up the whaling museum on Bequia so that visitors can better understand who we are.

We must remain flexible in our thinking about how we can use all the resources of our seascaspe and landscape to promote the betterment of our people. And some of these answers came to us from our forefathers. As we welcome visitors to our islands, the heritage we present to them should be authentic and proudly shared.