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TechnoratiJapan Kills 551 Antarctic Whales, Short of Target
TOKYO - Japan's Antarctic whaling catch fell far short of its target this season, hampered by a series of skirmishes with anti-whaling protesters, the Fisheries Agency said on Monday.
The fleet caught only 551 minke whales, compared with the planned catch of 850. No fin whales were caught at all, although it had set a target of 50, a Fisheries Ministry official said.
"Sabotage by activists is a major factor behind our failure to achieve our target," the official said.
Militant anti-whaling campaigners from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society had repeatedly confronted Japan's whaling fleet earlier this year.
Last month, members of the Sea Shepherd group threw bottles and containers of foul-smelling substances at a whaling ship in an attempt to disrupt the hunt, resulting in three sailors complaining of eye irritation.
The incident followed a high-profile standoff in January in which two activists boarded another Japanese whaling ship, forcing it to suspend whaling for a month.
The absence of fin whales in the catch was partly due to other factors, the ministry said.
"Sabotage is not entirely to blame for that. There was a situation where few fin whales were spotted," the official said.
Greenpeace Japan, which also carried out activities aimed at obstructing the hunt, said it was not satisfied with the reduced catch.
"They say that one reason for the lower catch is that they didn't see so many whales," said Junichi Sato of Greenpeace. "That is a good reason why they should not conduct lethal research."
He added that, despite the reduction, the number of whales actually killed was more than three years ago.
International criticism forced Japan to give up a plan to catch 50 humpback whales, a favorite with whale watchers.
The clashes sparked a spate of diplomatic complaints between Japan and Australia.
The Australian government has promised to try to stop Japan's whaling program and is considering international legal action, although the two countries have agreed not to let the issue hurt ties.
Japan's coastguard and police will inspect the country's whaling fleet this week after the clashes with the conservation activists, local media reported on Sunday.
The six-ship fleet is expected to return home on Tuesday.
Japan, which considers whaling a cultural tradition, abandoned commercial whaling after agreeing to an international whaling moratorium in 1986. But arguing that the hunt is necessary to study whales, Japan began what it calls a scientific research whaling program the following year.
Japan's whaling fleet has killed about 7,000 Antarctic minkes over the past 20 years.
© 2008 Reuters
13 Comments so far
Show AllScientist don't need whales to conduct "research". Biologist now days, do not slaughter vulernable species for research. There is nothing to be gained by this action, other than getting whale meat and blubber for the marketplace. This is really all about Japan flexing it's muscles; sort of like what the USA does periodically.
To make my point against whaling, I have forgone buying anything Japanese for the forseeable future. Money is what they understand; if more people would shop intelligently and politically to support their stated beliefs, then maybe we would make a dent in this arrogant wall of presumption that so many in power seem to think they are entitled to make.
Another way to put it:
"Sea Sheperd and Greenpeace, the only morally-defensible use Diesel Fuel as ever been put to!"
Fight on Sisters and Brothers, fight on, We stand behind you!
-matti.
A toast to Sea Shepherd!
A small victory, but a Victory none-the-less.
I beseech all who have spare cash or wealth in our deflating economy to invest in the protection of our Cetacean Cousins to do so.
A line MUST be drawn!
Three cheers and another Round for all those who braved the Antarctic Seas (and the violence of those still blinded) in the fight to stop the Industrial Maw from devouring all.
I hereby proclaim that if any member of Sea Shepherd should ever find themselves so land-locked as to be in Roslyn, WA they will find themselves FREE room and board in my (wife's) humble house, for as long -and for as many- as my Labor can afford.
You can track me down at either our famous "Brick" or our notorious "Marko's" -my name is as you read it here, Matti, or perhaps, "the third best Ms. Pac-Man player" for Marko's monthly tournament for tie-dye T-shirt glory.
I'm super-serious here, Sea-Shepherds, you are one of the dwindling reasons why I can maintain my faith in Humanity, and you will always be a welcome Guest in my (wife's) home.
But I will continue to support you in whatever way I can even if the Wind never blows you to my Mountain-Berth, and I encourage all who read this to do the same!
The killing of our Cetacean Cousins must end YESTERDAY!
Until Greenpeace can be fully roused SUPPORT SEA SHEPHERD!
It must be tax-detuctible somehow?
Another three Cheers for the brave people of Sea Shepherd (and Greenpeace in past times and hopefully the Future)!
My children are in your Debt.
And there are no stronger words a Man can write on a subject.
For all times, I remain a Friend of those who are friends to our friends.
-matti.
I once had a history professor who promised (not threatened) an "F" if anyone ever wrote a final essay with a sentence like "Japan did..." or "Germany thought..."
Bottom-line, countries are not anthropomorphic entities and don't "think" or even wage "war". We should name specific individuals. This train of articles would be far more useful is they indicated whether it was a modern broad cultural tradition to eat whale meat in Japan, or the killing of whales is to satisfy the culinary tastes of perhaps the wealthiest top 1-5% of the Japanese. Anyone have a read on this?
There goes the price of whale steaks in Tokyo. Only the elete will be able to "enjoy" them. When I was there in the 60s, whale steak was available in the Ashiya fish market at a very low price, a fraction of the price of beef.
To me, eating whale or porpoise flesh would be very much like eating human flesh. They are more human-like than humans often are to me. The Orca of course are possibly too human-like.
Considering whales' brains are larger than our own we should not be killing any of them. While it is not certain that they are as smart or smarter than humans since we have no way yet of testing that hypothesis we should give them the benefit of the doubt and not be killing them.
How would humans recognize intelligence in other life forms? We would likely look at the civilization we have built around us and look for technology and industry created by these other life forms. This is flawed though, how exactly is a whale going to be able to build something when it can't even touch it's flippers together?
Pascal - Maybe they are over-compinsating with large test tubes.
Someone please explain to me why a scientist needs thousands of tonnes of whale meat "samples" in order to carry out scientific experiments.. Those Japanese scientists are either pretty poorly educated and trained or they must have huge labs and test tubes!! Maybe, those Greenpeace people who are following the whale "researchers" should make the whale meat inedible by shooting acid pellets or some other toxic substance into the carcasses as they are being hauled up into the whale boats. Oh yeah, I forgot, that would probably make them worthless for the Japanese scientists too!
Whales are alive and well on couches in American living rooms. Plenty of blubber ready to harvest.
BIG Victory for Sea Shepherd. when it comes to saving whales, don't support Greenpeace, support Sea Shepherd for real results.
Gargantuan blooms of stinging jellyfish decimated Japanese fisheries a few years ago, leaving little to catch and even less edible. (The fish were stung so often they were paralyzed. Their flesh saturated with so much venom as to render it too hazardous to consume).
Researches tentatively concluded that these giant blooms are created in man-made 'dead-zones' (pesticides/algae growth/sunlight loss/plankton death: Marine food chain breaks) where the jellyfish has unlimited potential to reproduce.
Given that this calamity was mostly caused by foreign countries, I would expect the Japanese to be leading the world in defending the oceans.
It's amazing that there are any whales left at all considering how much we have destroyed the ocean ecosystem. To allow even one whale to be killed under the current circumstances is disgusting beyond words.
Boycott!
Slaughter in the name of science.
Its a very convenient alternative to theistic excuses like praising deities or ensuring a good corn harvest.