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JAPAN’S WHALE MEAT DISGRACE

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The International Whaling Commission thankfully banned the despicable practice of commercial whaling in 1986. At that point of time in our history whale numbers around the globe had decreased dramatically. It was believed that as far back as 1930, global whaling had seen the systematic slaughter of up to 50,000 whales per year in an operation that was deemed to be unsustainable. Today, however, despite the ban on commercial whaling and the global outcry of the killing of these majestic creatures, the governments of Japan, Norway, and Iceland continue in this abhorrent and immoral practice.

It has been reported as recently as May 5th 2013 by Australia’s ABC News website that Iceland is planning to begin a commercial whale hunt in which they will target a quota of at least 154 Fin Whales. The whale meat will be sold to markets in Japan or will be used for pet food. Kristjan Loftsson, Chief Executive of Hvalur, an Icelandic commercial whaling operation that exports meat to Japan, is quoted by the ABC as saying: “Things are improving there … everything is recovering” after the Tsunami that devastated the country. Iceland is one of the few nations that openly defies the international ban on whaling and has drawn the ire of the U.S. government, but as yet the U.S. has not gone so far as to impose sanctions against the rogue nation.

Japan, on the other hand has attempted to insist that its whaling program is one that has a scientific basis and that the slaughter of these majestic ocean creatures is in fact entirely legal. Using an absurd loophole left by the IRC, the Japanese government, under the guise of the Institute for Cetacean Research, flouts international and Australian Federal Law and enters the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. This sanctuary is under Australian legal jurisdiction, and yet it is entered every year in an attempt to kill up to 1000 whales in the name of so called ‘scientific research’. Thankfully groups such as the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are there to hamper the Japanese whalers and to hopefully one day put an end to this atrocity.

Sadly, in recent days things seem to have taken a turn for the worse. It has been reported on June 5th 2013 by ABC News Asia correspondent Mark Willacy that Japan’s IRC has now taken to advertising the sale of whale meat to schools and to the Japanese military, promoting it as some kind of super food for maintaining peak physical health and well being. It is well known that Japan has a significant stockpile of whale meat sitting in freezers in the country and that markets for the illegally procured item are actually dwindling. To remedy this dire situation, the government, under the guise of the IRC, have taken to printing flyers and brochures to improve sales for their dying business, in what can only be described as a last great act of desperation.

To me it would seem that by employing such tactics the Japanese government has become desperate to somehow prop up this most archaic and repulsive of industries and will do almost anything to ensure its survival in a world where it is no longer welcome nor warranted.

On May 9th 2013, Sea Shepherd Australia campaign leaders Jeff Hansen and Bob Brown announced their Whale Defence Campaign for 2013/14 codenamed ‘Operation Relentless’. The campaign will be carried out without the aid of Sea Shepherd’s U.S. branch as they are currently involved in court actions in America that prevent them from aiding the Australian branch of the organisation in the Southern Ocean Whale Defence Campaign. If we are to see an end to this most repulsive of industries, it is only through supporting and donating to organisations such as Sea Shepherd that we will see whaling brought to an end.

Postscript: Sea Shepherd’s 2012/13 Campaign codenamed ‘Operation Zero Tolerance’ saved 932 whales in the Southern Ocean in their most successful campaign to date. We can assist Sea Shepherd in their efforts to save marine life worldwide by donating to Sea Shepherd Australia at http://www.seashepherd.org.au


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