Captain Ahab was a fictional character who participated in whaling in a book called Moby Dick. Moby Dick was the name of the great white whale that Captain Ahab pursued to hunt. “The minke whale, also known as the baleen whale, is the smallest of the rorqual species, and females are normally larger than males,” Sea Shepherd1, but due to commercial whaling, they are threatened with extinction. Minke whale hunting is a problem in the Antarctic Ocean, also known as the Southern Ocean. They are killed by the Japanese to be used for making sushi. “The Japanese and other countries have been hunting whales since the 1800s,” studies recorded in 1986 showed that more than 30,000 minke whales have been killed.4 People should pay attention to this because an animal is being hunted and is in path to extinction. According to Sea Shepherd, “the taxonomy of minke whales is currently in question, and soon there may be three species of minke whales. »1 The Antarctic Sanctuary or Southern Ocean Sanctuary was established in 1994 and dedicates 19 million square miles of waters to feeding whales,” ABC News2. Minke whale hunting is a global, national, regional and local problem because the Earth will be home to another animal that will become extinct. By reducing demand for sushi, stopping the Japanese from whaling, and enforcing the Antarctic Sanctuary Act, marine biologists and Oceanic Conservation can protect minke whales before they become extinct. The Antarctic minke whale is the largest of the minke whale family. . Minke whales are stocky and have a layer of blubber several centimeters thick. They have a life expectancy of 20 years, but due to hunting, some whales fail to celebrate their 20th birthday.1 This...... middle of paper ...... cannot be banned . QC Researcher [Internet]. 2012 [cited January 21, 2014]. 22 (4). Online QC Researcher. Available at: http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2012062901&type=hitlist#.UvRGqhbnZMt4. Handwerk B. Whaling will continue in the Antarctic sanctuary. National Geographic Daily News [Internet]. National Geographic; June 25, 2010 [cited January 23, 2014]. 18 paragraphs. Available at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/06/100625-whaling-whales-ban-iwc-japan-hunting/5. Jeremy Jackson. How we destroyed the ocean.TED.com [Video/Internet]. Emily McManus; May 5, 2010 [cited January 28, 2014]. 18 minutes. Available at: http://blog.ted.com/2010/05/05/how_we_wrecked/6. Watson P, Hammarstedt P. Whale Wars. Discovery.com [Video/Internet]. FoleyC; November 8, 2008 [cited January 28, 2014]. 58 episodes. Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQgQlcEmUIs