It has become increasingly obvious that the economic value of whales is greater when they are alive rather than dead.

There was a time when whale hunting was a huge industry (in Hawai'i as well as elsewhere) for the oil and other byproducts of these creatures.

Those days are long gone, and the primary value of whales today (aside from their sheer inspirational value as Earth's largest mammals) is in whale-watching tourism.

Despite a broad global consensus that commercial whale hunting should be banned, a few nations — notably Japan — continue to press for an end to the hunting moratorium.

Japan continues to harvest whales under a fig leaf loophole that allows the killing of the animals for "scientific purposes."

Whatever science is achieved by this process, the real purpose is to put whale meat on the table for Japanese gourmands.

Iceland also hunts whales for scientific purposes, while Norway simply ignores the ban imposed by the International Whaling Commission.

In addition, Eskimos and other native peoples are allowed to kill a limited number of whales for subsistence purposes.

In its effort to open up the water for large-scale commercial whale hunting, Japan has been rounding up votes on the Whaling Commission to end the ban. It has been winning converts to its side by offering financial aid to the fishing industries of small nations, among other efforts.

While the pro-whaling side has a long way to go, it did recently win a symbolic 33-32 vote at the commission in favor of a resolution that said the ban was no longer necessary. The vote was symbolic because it takes a 75 percent vote of the commission to end the ban.

The irony here is that whale meat is rapidly declining in favor among Japanese consumers. There is really not much of a market for the product; Japan's interest is largely a matter of cultural and national pride.

The message, however, should be clear for the United States and other counties that support what should be a permanent ban: It is time to refocus our energies and attention on the International Whaling Commission to ensure that the 20-year-old prohibition on mass commercial hunting of whales is never lifted.