Japanese Whaling Ships Depart For Antarctic Hunt

The population of this species is large and Japan is aiming to commercialise minke whaling – hunting of whales primarily for meat, oil, blubber, and scientific research – in the future.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled previous year that Japan’s whaling in the Southern Ocean should stop and an International Whaling Commission (IWC) panel said in April that Japan had yet to demonstrate a need for killing whales. In addition, Japan is demanding that any further regulation of their actions be ordered from the United Nations.

Australia and New Zealand have led criticism of the resumption of Japan’s whaling operations, with both expressing disappointment. “Japan is on very hazardous ground”.

Opponents of the practice fear the hundreds of whales killed in process will end up on the food market.

In a statement published on Monday, Japan’s Fisheries Agency said that four ships – a factory ship for processing whaled and three faster vessels – would depart for a “research period”.

Japanese whaling ships have departed for the Antarctic hunt of this year, despite global opposition. But instead of waiting another year to resubmit, Japan will go ahead with the controversial plan – a move that is angering many conservationists.

As have environmental activists, several countries, including Australia, which brought the ICJ case have expressed their dismay in the resumption of the hunts. Japan agreed to the moratorium but has since continued whaling under the scientific research exemption. The Associated Press reports that Australian officials may even send a Customs and Border Protection Service patrol boat to monitor the hunts for illegal behavior.

After the court ruling, Japan announced a new research program with a new name – NEWREP-A – which is scheduled to last 12 years, until 2026/27.

In justifying the slaughter, the sheet says: “As there is no other means than lethal methods, at this stage, the use of lethal method is indispensable to obtain age data which is necessary for estimating the age-at-sexual maturity (ASM), which makes considerable contribution to achieving the application of the RMP (Research Management Procedure)”.