A compelling true story of the author's desperate attempts to save an eighty-ton fin whale trapped in a Newfoundland lagoon. As he tries to persuade wildlife authorities and the Canadian press to help him in his quest, he must fend off curious and uncaring locals, who want to harvest the helpless whale for sport. As it tells one of Mowat's most personal and moving stories, this book becomes an impassioned plea to save a species that seems doomed to extinction. A classic nature book now back in print. In the 1960s, Farley Mowat was living in the tiny fishing community of Burgeo on the southwest coast of Newfoundland. When an 80-ton fin whale became trapped in a nearby saltwater lagoon, Mowat rejoiced: here was the first chance to study at close range one of the most magnificent animals in creation. Some local villagers thought otherwise, blasting the whale with rifle fire and hacking open her back with a motorboat propeller. Mowat appealed desperately to the authorities, but it was too late-ravaged by an infection resulting from her massive wounds, the whale died. A plea for the end of commercial hunting of the whale, this moving account blends all the tension of the life-and-death struggle for one animal's survival with the drama of man's wanton destruction of life-bearing creatures and the environment itself.

"CAPTAIN PAUL WATSON IS NO STRANGER TO CONTROVERSY. But this particular conflict was more personal than most. His latest book is a fascinating and thought-provoking account of what happened when anti-whaling activists found themselves at odds with tribal rights. Conservationists, eco-warriors, whale protectors, and supporters of Indigenous traditions—as well as anyone who simply loves a good story—will find themselves captivated by this tale. DEATH OF A WHALE: The Challenge of Anti-Whaling Activists and Indigenous Rights narrates the events as they unfolded. In 1998, Sea Shepherd began a campaign to protect gray whales from slaughter by members of the Makah tribe of the Pacific Northwest, who had recently invoked cultural entitlements to allow them to practice their ancestral hunting rights. Makah members, conservationists, and non-Indigenous Americans vehemently expressed disparate points of view about whether tribal whaling operations, which had ended almost a century earlier, should be recognized, even when they were not in accord with international Indigenous whaling regulations. This electrifying, real-life adventure story showcases an Indigenous community at odds with itself, governments and media that advance their own agendas, and grassroots organizers who display heroic activism. Highly detailed and documented, the book reveals Captain Watson’s deep and unwavering respect for Indigenous traditions and rights, even when they conflict with his own devotion to the sovereignty of whales. "

Whaling has become one of the most controversial environmental issues. It is not that all whale species are at the brink of extinction, but that whales have become important symbols to both pro- and anti-whaling factions and can easily be appropriated as the common heritage of humankind. This book, the first of its kind, is therefore not about whales and whaling per se but about how people communicate about whales and whaling. It contributes to a better understanding and discussion of controversial environmental issues: Why and how are issues selected? How is knowledge on these issues produced and distributed by organizations and activists? And why do affluent countries like Japan and Norway still support whaling, which is of insignificant economic importance? Basing his analysis on fieldwork in Japan and Norway and at the International Whaling Commission, the author argues how an image of a “superwhale” has been constructed and how this image has replaced meat and oil as the important whale commodity. He concludes that the whaling issue provides an arena where NGOs and authorities on each side can unite, swapping political legitimacy and building personal relations that can be useful on issues where relations are less harmonious.