ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the multidisciplinary research review of the literature on whaling and tourism with the focus on whaling's primary product: 'whale meat' – which is shorthand for the whale products that are produced for food and thus may include blubber or other body parts. Whaling drove many whale species to the brink of extinction, but on the back of sustained environmental campaigns, a moratorium on whaling was enacted. The literature reviewed is examined from a political ecology perspective. Political ecology is a multidisciplinary research approach that focuses upon "the condition and change of social/environmental systems, with explicit consideration of relations of power". The bulk of the literature on whaling and tourism has focused on the relationship between whaling and whale watching. Despite this complexity, a considerable body of research exists illustrating the economic value of whale watching in many parts of the world, often making direct comparisons to whaling.
