Posts Tagged: whaling debate

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18
Feb 11

Japanese Whaling Ends Early This Year

As we’ve previously covered, Japan conducts an annual whale hunting expedition despite the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling asking that they do not. Japan always insists the whaling is performed for the purposes of “research,” but a lot of whale meat makes it to the seafood market. Protesters argue that Japan’s true purpose in continuing to whale is purely to sell meat and make products from whales, as whale meat is somewhat of a delicacy in Japan.

On February 10th, Japan suspended its whaling early. (The season usually ends in March and there is still the chance that they will resume normal activities.) Japanese officials explained that harassment from protesters, and the subsequent safety concerns, is largely to blame. Japanese whalers are usually stalked by environmental groups. The Sea Shepard Conservation Society is the most prominently known and relentless crew of environmentalists who follow the whalers in their own boats and attempt to sabotage the whaling.

The Sea Shepard Conservation Society’s attacks on the whalers were especially relentless in January. According to reports from the Japan Institute of Cetacean Research published by the Australian paper the Sydney Morning Herald, the Sea Shepard Conservation Society protesters have damaged a propeller on a whaling ship, blocked a whaling ship from refueling on schedule, and have even occupied two of the whaling ships for several weeks each. Voice of America News reports that this season the whalers have caught and killed one hundred whales–eight hundred less than their annual goal of nine hundred.

In a report discussed by Sky News, the Japanese whalers have recorded some of the harassment by the Sea Shepard Conservation Society. At times, the environmentalists shoot flares and high-power water jets at the whalers’ boats. The whalers have been responding in kind. In January 2010, an environmentalist’s boat even sunk after being split in two by whaler attacks.

The Sea Shepard Conservation Society plans to follow the whaling ships until they’re certain that they are indeed headed back to port in Japan.

Are you on the side of the environmentalists or the whalers? Do you think there’s some blame on both sides?

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23
Apr 10

Japanese Whaling Meat Finds Its Way to the US

A controversial subject for decades has been Japan’s decision to engage in annual whale hunts for what it deems a scientific program, a study to determine the status of population and species that the Japanese government insists does not significantly alter the whale population. Japan has come under fire from organizations such as Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund because they believe the “scientific study” is a cover—or otherwise not a legitimate enough excuse—to justify commercial whaling, as whale meat is a delicacy dish in Japan and is legally sold in fish markets as a result of these scientific expeditions. Japan’s retort has always been that the whaling is scientifically necessary and that other nations put an unjust importance on saving whales (yet accept eating other kinds of seafood) when not all species of whales are endangered.

Nevertheless, Japan is supposed to keep its whale meat sold domestically, as it is illegal to export the meat to other countries. However, recently Japan Today reported that illegal whale meat from Japan has been found in sushi restaurants in South Korea and the U.S. Interestingly, scientists could prove the meat came from Japan due to DNA testing on the sashimi meat that matches the DNA of meat sold legally in 2007 on the Japanese market; in other words, this meat was not just from the same species of whale, it was from the exact same whale.

The restaurant in the U.S. (The Hump, formerly in Santa Monica, California) was forced to close in response to the study and is facing criminal charges. The study, overseen by the Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center, was a private study performed by opponents of whale hunting, but their discovery of illegally exported whale meat may influence the International Whaling Commission’s consideration of making commercial whaling legal (with restrictions), which has long been an aim of Japan. Opponents of legalizing commercial whaling fear that the whale population will suffer greatly and that illegal activity will continue. However, proponents believe that commercializing and regulating the activity will help decrease the illegal trade.

Do you believe Japan should stop whaling? Do you believe in Japan’s reasoning that it’s for scientific study, particularly when whale meat is such a delicacy? Do you think that making commercial whaling legal with restrictions will help quell illegal activity or make the problem worse?