Whaling in the Philippines

Whaling in the Philippines refers to the catching of whales in Philippine waters. Evidences of whaling in the archipelago was recorded as early as the seventeenth century.

History

There is limited documentation of whaling in the Philippines. Filipino whalers often catched Bryde whales in the past. American and British whalers often catched sperm whales in Sulu, Mindoro and the Celebes. British whaling in the Philippines were reported to have occured from 1820 to 1840 while American whaling were reported to have happened in 1825 and 1880 alongside local whaling by Filipinos in Bohol.

There was a short period of commercial whaling in the Philippines from 1981 to 1986. Philippine whalers fished within Philippine EEZ but it was reported that they also fished Bryde whales in international waters. The Philippines was also a member of the International Whaling Commission from 1981 to 1988.

Ban on Whaling

Whaling in the Philippines has been illegal since 1991 under Fisheries Administrative Order 185. The provision bans the catching, selling, or transporting of dolphins. The provision was ammended in 1997 to include all ceataceans including whales.There were calls for ban on whaling and dolphin hunting in the Philippines were raised by both domestic and international groups after local whaling and dolphin hunting traditions of residents of Pamilacan in Bohol were feautered in newspapers in the 1990's. As compromise for residents of Pamilacan who were dependent on whaling and dolphin hunting, whale and dolphin watching is being promoted in the island as a source of tourism income.

Despite the ban, it is believed that the whaling industry in the Philippines did not ceased to exist but went underground.