Japan killing in the name of science

If you wanted a census of wild birds, would you get a slingshot and kill them to count them? This is practically what the Government of Japan is proposing, yet again. Wire reports reveal that a secret proposal from Japan's Fisheries Agency sets a "scientific" quota of double the current take of minke whales. They also want to add endangered humpback and fin whales. It's time for killing in the name of science to stop.

Plans by the Government of Japan to 'sharply' increase its take of minke whales, and to resume catching both fin and humpback whales under the guise of scientific research, are a deadly slap in the face for the international community, making a mockery of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and international efforts to control whaling.

The secret proposal from Japan, which has been submitted for consideration at the IWC meeting beginning on May 27 in Ulsan, Korea, will see new "scientific" quotas with a minke whale take of 880 in the Antarctic in addition to a catch of some 10 humpback and fin whales. Let's just remember here that populations of whales in the Antarctic are at only 10 percent of what they were before industrial whaling - it seems ludicrous to kill them to count them, or find out what they eat. Then again, it's not so ludicrous if you're going to make millions from the meat.

In 2003, the Fisheries' Agency's "research" whalers reported revenues of over US$50 million from a catch of 700 whales. Their catch this year is expected to be 1,300.

Our resident whale expert, John Frizell, said "For too long the 'scientific' loophole has provided commercial whalers with a 'fig leaf' of respectability. The IWC should move to end the scandal of scientific whaling and end the scientific exemption."

The submission to the IWC by Japan's Fisheries Agency is designated "in confidence". But since when was the science of environmental protection and nature conservation best served by secrecy? If it's so scientific, why are they trying to hide it? Why not post it on the internet so the world wide community of whale researchers can review it. If they're really stuck, perhaps the public could then suggest ways to do the studies non-lethally?

The scientific whaling loophole isn't the only problem plaguing the IWC's efforts. Over the last month the Rainbow Warrior has been in Korea to highlight another flaw in international efforts to ban the hunting of whales. In 2003 the Korean fishing fleet "accidentally" netted 84 whales, which were legally traded and processed for domestic consumption. Korean Government statistics show that between ten and a hundred times more whales are "accidentally" caught in Korea than in countries that do not have a domestic whale meat market (Japan has a similiarly high rate of "accidental" catches, otherwise known as bycatch).

Even worse for these whales: scientists believe that the Korean population of minke whales is in serious decline. Research published by the well-respected Royal Society shows not only that minke whales in Japanese and Korean waters are declining; but that they will continue to decline even if hunting does not resume, due to these high levels of "accidental" bycatch - and the IWC scientists agree.

It has also been revealed that Korea is, again on the quiet, proposing to build a whale processing factory in the very city where the IWC is to be held, which could be indicative that, like Japan, they intend to pursue whaling and brand it "science".