Whaling remains one of the most contentious issues in global conservation. In South Korea, where commercial and subsistence whaling are both illegal, domestic sales of cetacean products such as skin, blubber and red meat are allowed if they are accidently caught. However, environmental groups have claimed that the high price of meat may be acting as an incentive for illegal hunting and 'deliberate by-catch' where whales are intentionally killed or left to die by fishermen when they become trapped in their nets. In this paper we investigate the issue of deliberate by-catch and illegal hunting of the protected Minke J-stock population in Korean waters using grounded theory, an approach that allows theories and understanding to emerge from the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Our research suggests that deliberate bycatch is almost certainly taking place but that illegal hunting and/or illegal importation from Japan may be far more significant sources of Minke whale meat. We discuss possible measures to reduce incentives for deliberate bycatch and illegal hunting such as the introduction of mandatory reporting of quantities supplied and consumed in restaurants and a tax on meat sales at auction. More generally, our research illustrates how the analysis of price movements can shed light on the scale of illegal wildlife trade and how a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies can provide understanding of a complex, multifaceted conservation issue.
In this study, a hydrogel impregnated with powder activated carbon (PAC), MAA-PAC, was synthesized through the polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and PB was immobilized using the carboxyl group of AA. In this process, an adsorbent with an enhancement of PB content and stability of immobilization was developed through the additional supply of Fe3+ ions by the layer by layer (LBL) assembly. XRD, FT-IR, SEM (EDS), TEM (EDS, mapping), and TG analyzes of the LBL and non-LBL groups were performed to confirm the change of PB content in the adsorbent as the LBL assembly was applied. The stability of PB immobilization was confirmed during the washing process after the synthesis of the adsorbent. When the LBL assembly process was applied as a PB immobilization strategy, the PB content in the adsorbent was improved and PB leakage was not observed during the washing process. The maximum adsorption (qm) for cesium in the MAA-PAC-PB LBL group that showed high PB content was 40.03 mg/g, and the adsorption isotherm was more suitable for the Langmuir model than the Freundlich model. The LBL group showed a high removal efficiency of 99.81% and a high DF value (525.88) for radioactive cesium (120 Bq/g). These results demonstrate the potential efficiency of the MAA-PAC-PB LBL group for the decontamination of radioactive cesium-contaminated water systems. Furthermore, it was verified that the LBL group of MAA-PAC-PB could be used as an adsorbent without an additional design of the existing water treatment facility. This can an economical decontamination method for removing radioactive cesium.
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