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Whales losing blubber, claims controversial Japanese study
Data from Japan's widely condemned scientific whaling programme suggests a loss of fat over the past 20 years may be due to climate change, but some claim the research is unethical.
Over two decades, Japanese ships have butchered thousands of whales taken from the icy waters around the Antarctic in the name of research. Campaigners and politicians condemn the practice as unethical and unnecessary, and say Japan's "scientific" whaling programme is commercial whaling by another name.
Now, Japan's scientists claim their controversial whaling programme has produced a key finding. Measurements taken from more than 4,500 minke whales slaughtered since the late 1980s reveal the animals have lost significant amounts of blubber, and are getting thinner at a worrying speed. The team says its study offers the first evidence that global warming could be harming whales, because it restricts their food supplies. And they say the discovery could only have been made by killing the animals.
Crucially for the Japanese, the results have been published in a mainstream western scientific journal – a move that has dismayed campaigners, who say it could offer scientific whaling a veneer of respectability, and bolster Japan's efforts to hunt more whales.
They fear Japan could use the results to support efforts to hunt endangered humpback whales for the first time in 50 years. The study claims the recovering humpback population in the Southern Ocean could also be hurting the minkes because of "interference" between the two species as they compete for food.
Lars Walloe, a Norwegian whale expert at the University of Oslo, who helped the Japanese team analyse the data, and is listed as an author on the new study, said: "This is a big change in blubber and if it continues it could make it more difficult for the whales to survive. It indicates there have been some big changes in their ecosystem."
Whales rely on their thick layer of blubber for energy and as insulation against the cold water. The shift could already being making it more difficult for them to reproduce, Walloe said. "I don't think you could measure this by other [non lethal] means." Alternative methods to sample blubber, such as ultrasound and biopsy darts, have been developed. But Walloe said it was not practical to use them on the required scale with minke whales, which are also difficult to approach.
Walloe said the decline in blubber was down to shrinking numbers of Antarctic krill, a shrimp-like crustacean at the heart of the food chain. The amount of blubber lost is roughly equivalent to 36 fewer days of intensive summer feeding.
Krill numbers in the water around the rapidly-warming Antarctic peninsula have collapsed by about 80% since the 1970s. This is blamed on the loss of sea ice, which provide shelter and food for krill. Data from Japan's widely condemned scientific whaling programme suggests a loss of fat over the past 20 years may be due to clima... more -
Japan ends whale hunt with 211 catches
Japanese whaling ships will start arriving back back home Saturday after catching 211 whales during their three-month voyage in the northwest Pacific, the fisheries agency said.
The main ship of the six-vessel fleet, 8,044-ton Nisshin-maru, will arrive in Tokyo on Saturday, with the rest returning to their ports by the end of the month, the agency said.
Since they left on June 6, the ships caught 100 sei whales, 59 minke whales, 50 Bryde's whales and two sperm whales, the agency said Friday.
The Japanese government, which says whaling is part of the national culture, plans to kill around 1,000 whales a year using a loophole in a 1986 international moratorium that allows "lethal research" on whales.
Japan's last catch in the Antarctic Ocean earlier this year came to little more than half of that due to harassment by Sea Shepherd activists, who hurled stink bombs and hopped onto the whaling ship. Japanese whaling ships will start arriving back back home Saturday after catching 211 whales during their three-month voyage in the no... more -
Whaling under fire as Norway catches only 50% of its quota
Norway will not catch enough whales to meet its quota this year, in what environmentalists are claiming is proof that the nation should abandon the activity completely.
Since the whaling season started on April 1, fishermen have caught around half the number of animals allowed by the authorities – 533 common minke whales out of a quota of 1,052.
The season ends on August 31 and fishermen recognise they will fall short. "I don't think we will do it," said Bjoern-Hugo Bendiksen, chairman of the Norwegian Whalers' Union.
Conservation groups say the catch came short because Norwegians' taste for the mammal has declined. "This shows that people don't want to eat whale meat anymore. The market is not there," said Truls Gulowsen from Greenpeace. "The Norwegian government should stop supporting a dying industry and apply the 1986 international moratorium on whaling."
Norway resumed commercial whaling in 1993, despite an international moratorium put in place in 1986 to protect the species from extinction. Only one other nation, Iceland, has followed suit, in 2006. Japan allows whaling for scientific reasons, although a large number of whale steaks are found in fish markets every year.
Norway's whale catches have been declining in recent years. In 2004 fishermen hunted 639 animals from a total quota of 796. Last year they caught just 597, out of a quota of 1,052 – the highest quota allowed since 1993. Around 30 ships were involved in this year's hunting season.
Conservationists have long argued that all forms of whale hunting should be banned because it is cruel and stocks are too low for hunting to be sustainable. But Norway defies the ban because whaling "has high political status, even though it's a marginal industry," according to Gulowsen.
"It's a symbolic issue for the government, a way to show its independence from the international community when it comes to controlling its natural resources," he said. Norway will not catch enough whales to meet its quota this year, in what environmentalists are claiming is proof that the nation shoul... more -
Japan seeks to arrest anti-whaling activists
Japanese police have sought arrest warrants for three anti-whaling activists after their heated clashes with Tokyo's whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean last year, the government said on Monday.
"It's natural to seek an arrest warrant after determining that there was a crime," Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura told a news conference.
Two Americans and a Briton from the hardline Sea Shepherd group are suspected of having obstructed Japan's whale hunt through protests such as jamming a ship's propeller with a rope. Tokyo's Metropolitan Police is looking to place the three on an international wanted list once the arrest warrants are obtained.
Protests last year against the whaling fleet outraged Japan, which called the activities "piratical, terrorist acts". Activists had poured acid on the deck of a whaling ship, slightly injuring two crew members. Japanese police have sought arrest warrants for three anti-whaling activists after their heated clashes with Tokyo's whaling flee... more -
Japan seeks to arrest anti-whaling activists
Japanese police have sought arrest warrants for three anti-whaling activists after their heated clashes with Tokyo's whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean last year, the government said on Monday.
"It's natural to seek an arrest warrant after determining that there was a crime," Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura told a news conference.
"No matter what you think about whaling, physical protests should be avoided."
Two Americans and a Briton from the hardline Sea Shepherd group are suspected of having obstructed Japan's whale hunt through protests such as jamming a ship's propeller with a rope, Kyodo news agency reported.
Tokyo's Metropolitan Police is looking to place the three on an international wanted list once the arrest warrants are obtained, Kyodo added.
Japan's whale hunts have come under growing pressure from environmental groups, who say it is cruel and violates a 1986 global moratorium on commercial whaling.
Japan, which considers whaling to be a cultural tradition, says it only undertakes whaling for scientific research.
Protests last year against the whaling fleet outraged Japan, which called the activities "piratical, terrorist acts". Activists had poured acid on the deck of a whaling ship, slightly injuring two crew members.
Clashes took place again earlier this year, setting off a spate of diplomatic complaints between Japan and Australia, although the two countries agreed not to let the issue hurt ties.
Meat from the hunts, which under rules set by the International Whaling Commission must be sold for consumption, is available in Japanese supermarkets and restaurants, though appetite for what is now a delicacy is fading. Japanese police have sought arrest warrants for three anti-whaling activists after their heated clashes with Tokyo's whaling flee... more -
Japan seeks to arrest Sea Shepherd anti-whaling activists
Japan today said it would take legal action against three members of the Sea Shepherd conservation group, including one Briton, whom it accused of obstructing its whaling fleet during clashes in the Antarctic in February 2007.
In a further sign of Japan's hardline stance against anti-whaling activists, police will place the men, a Briton named by sources as Daniel Bebawi, 28, from Nottingham, and two Americans on an international wanted list as soon as arrest warrants are issued.
"It's only natural to seek an arrest warrant as we've determined that a crime was committed," Nobutaka Machimura, the government's chief spokesman, told reporters.
"Regardless of the differences of opinion, it is unacceptable that those involved (in whaling) get injured … or have their lives put in danger."
Sea Shepherd was unavailable for comment this afternoon.
Last month, police charged two Greenpeace activists with stealing a consignment of whale meat. The protesters intercepted the meat to support allegations that Japanese whalers were selling it on the black market.
Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki, both members of the group's Japan branch, are accused of stealing a box containing 23kg of whale meat from a postal company warehouse in April.
Japan claims the three men involved in the Sea Shepherd case illegally obstructed the whaling fleet by jamming the propeller of the Kaiko Maru with a rope and throwing flares on to its deck.
Police will not pursue allegations that two whalers were injured by containers of butyric acid - rancid butter - hurled by Sea Shepherd activists.
The environmental group says the Kaiko Maru twice rammed one of its ships, leaving gashes in its hull, and denies whalers were hurt in the acid attacks.
Japan's recent hunt in the southern ocean was frustrated by protests from Sea Shepherd and Greenpeace. The country had planned to catch 850 minke whales but returned with 551.
Sea Shepherd has vowed to disrupt the next whaling expedition, due to start at the end of the year.
The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986 but allows Japan to conduct "lethal research" into the cetaceans' migratory and breeding habits.
The moratorium requires that meat from the hunts be sold on the open market, although domestic consumption is at an all-time low. Japan today said it would take legal action against three members of the Sea Shepherd conservation group, including one Briton, whom i... more -
Japan charges Greenpeace members over whale theft
Environmental group Greenpeace said on Friday two of its activists had been charged with stealing a box of whale meat while conducting a covert operation into suspected cases of embezzlement.
The public prosecutors office in Aomori, northern Japan, charged Junichi Sato and Toru Suzuki with theft and trespass, the group said in a statement.A spokesman for the Aomori Public Prosecutors Office declined to comment.
Greenpeace had used the meat as evidence when complaining to prosecutors that members of Japan's whaling fleet crew shipped large quantities of the meat home, which they said amounted to embezzlement.
Japan has come under fire from environmentalists and foreign countries for its whaling program. The government says its whaling is for scientific research purposes.
Commercial whaling was banned under a 1986 international moratorium, but Tokyo has campaigned for a lifting of the ban, saying whaling is part of the country's cultural tradition.
A recent poll showed that a majority of Japanese support whaling, although whale meat is now less popular among the public than in the past.
The country's fleet caught only 551 minke whales compared with a planned 850 in its latest Antarctic hunt, after obstruction by anti-whalers.
(Reporting by Chisa Fujioka; Editing by Jeremy Laurence) Environmental group Greenpeace said on Friday two of its activists had been charged with stealing a box of whale meat while conducting... more -
Japan blamed for Africa fish fall
A coalition of conservation groups and a leading fisheries scientist have accused Japan of damaging the fisheries interests of poorer countries.
They say Japan promotes the argument that whales are responsible for declining fish stocks in order to boost support for whale hunting. They say this stops poor countries from focussing on real causes of decline.
A spokesman for Japan's whale research institution described the accusation as "absurd and irresponsible".
The groups involved presented their conclusions on the sidelines of the International Whaling Commission.
Daniel Pauly, director of the University of British Columbia Fisheries Centre, said there was abundant evidence that whales are not behind the decline in fish stocks.
"Blaming whales is an issue that is not only false - whales are no more responsible than the Martians - but which prevents the very small resources of West African countries from being devoted to understanding the real reasons why their fisheries are declining," he said. A coalition of conservation groups and a leading fisheries scientist have accused Japan of damaging the fisheries interests of poorer ... more -
Whaling commission meeting to debate commercial hunting resumption
The International Whaling Commission, a treaty organization grouping 80 countries, was to meet on Monday in Chile to debate a possible resumption of commercial whale-hunting.
If the IWC lifts its 12-year ban on whaling, it would seriously deepen divisions between member states opposed to the hunts and those -- chiefly Iceland, Japan and Norway -- in favor.
Environmental groups including the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Greenpeace warned ahead of the meeting that Japan wanted to catch whales in four of its coastal areas for non-scientific ends.
Milko Schvartzman, a regional Greenpeace coordinator, said the position Japan would take during the talks was unclear but that Tokyo would likely press on with its efforts to resume commercial whaling.
Japan kills some 1,000 whales a year using a loophole in the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling that allows "lethal research" on the ocean giants. Norway and Iceland defy the moratorium altogether.
The week-long IWC meeting in Santiago is to also review whale and dolphin populations, and the creation of a whale sanctuary in the south Atlantic.
The idea of a whale reserve was put forward by the "Buenos Aires Group," a union of several Latin American countries backing cetacean research and conservation.
It seeks to establish an ocean domain in which whale hunting is always prohibited and whale-watching tourism encouraged.
Chile is also expected to announce a own whale sanctuary in territorial waters it claims up to 4,500 kilometers (2,700 miles) off shore.
The IWC adopted a progressively more modern stance since it was launched more than 50 years ago, as most species have seen their numbers reduced by over 80 percent during the industrial hunting era.
However, in 1992 the IWC relaxed a worldwide moratorium on commercial whaling instituted six years earlier, and in 2006 the IWC narrowly approved a motion declaring that the moratorium "is no longer necessary." The International Whaling Commission, a treaty organization grouping 80 countries, was to meet on Monday in Chile to debate a possible... more -
Origami Whales Project
I’d like to share with you all a very worthy cause, a project masterminded by Peggy Oki; called the "Origami Whales Project". You recognise/remember Peggy Oki as the sole female member of the legendary Zephyr Skate Team (a.k.a. Z-Boys) of Dogtown.
In 3 years, over 5,500 whales will have been slaughtered. According to most recent estimates, since 1986, when the International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on whaling; Japan, Norway, and Iceland have slaughtered nearly 30,000 whales.
Through global public participation, a "Curtain of 30,000 Origami Whales" was created to raise awareness and call for action through inviting public participation in making this curtain as a memorial for the lives of whales lost since the moratorium on whaling.
Thousands of children and adults of all ages, schools, organizations, and individuals from all nations contributed origami whales to raise awareness to the numbers that have been killed, as well as the need to halt further slaughter of these amazing beings. All of these origami whales were put together to form a curtain, which was first exhibited during the 59th annual IWC meetings in late May 2007 during the International Whaling Commission Meetings at the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts (PAC). With a height of 5 feet, and a linear dimension of over 400 feet in length, the curtain was hung as a simple maze of aisles of origami whales within an installation 12 feet wide by 50 feet long...
Check out the link for more information on the project and whaling...
http://www.clubofthewaves.com/green_origami_whales.php
Aloha I’d like to share with you all a very worthy cause, a project masterminded by Peggy Oki; called the "Origami Whales Project"... more -
Japan to try for massive whale kill
THE Japan Whaling Association believes data about to be released on the abundance of minke whales in the Antarctic will justify an increase in Japan's annual whale kill to "tens of thousands".Kevin Rudd has confirmed he will use his trip to Tokyo next week to increase diplomatic pressure on Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to stop whaling in Australian-controlled waters.Japan sends a whaling fleet to the Southern Ocean each summer, on the pretext of conducting scientific study. In reality the whales are killed for human consumption in restaurants.In December, Australia issued a demarche, or formal diplomatic protest, on behalf of numerous nations over Japan's plans to cull about 900 minke whales and 50 fin whales.Early this year the Rudd Government spent about $1million sending Customs vessel the Oceanic Viking to trail the whaling fleet to collect evidence for possible use in an international court challenge against the hunt.Japanese whaling spokesman Glenn Inwood told The Australian yesterday this month's meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Chile would receive new research into the abundance of minke whales in Antarctica, which was expected to reveal they were far more common than previously thought.Mr Inwood, who is based in New Zealand, said: "It is certainly hopeful that when that figure is run through the quota system of the IWC that it will be looking at the sustainable harvest possibly of tens of thousands of minke whales each year. I think this new abundance estimate for Antarctic minkes will be one of the greatest threats to Australia's position on whaling. It will be very hard to deny Japan a quota."Mr Inwood said Japan had a right to hunt whales if it could be demonstrated whale stocks were not being over-exploited and Australia could hardly complain, since it exploited its natural resources, including fish on the high seas, and beef and other meats for consumption."The (whaling) convention itself is not about protecting whale species regardless of their abundance," Mr Inwood said."Where it is demonstrated that whale stocks are abundant and particular species are abundant, then they should be able to be managed and harvested on a sustainable basis and allow for an annual quota." THE Japan Whaling Association believes data about to be released on the abundance of minke whales in the Antarctic will justify an inc... more
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Red tape killing whales
According to this article, there are only about 300 North Atlantic right whales trying to survive in waters off the east coast of North America. And of course, politics are what stands in the way of protecting them. Right now a measure is stalled ... that measure is a "proposal from U.S. government scientists to require commercial ships to slow down to 10 knots inside a 30-mile "bubble" near ports where and when these whales are migrating."
It's such a shame, that issues like this actually need to be thought about. I guess we're waiting for the ocean to be empty and layered with trash? According to this article, there are only about 300 North Atlantic right whales trying to survive in waters off the east coast of Nort... more -
Japan imports 80 tonnes of whale meat ... from EUROPE
Iceland and Norway have resumed whale meat exports to Japan for the first time since the early 1990s despite a UN trade ban, a whale exporter said today.
"This trade will be mutually beneficial for the three main whaling countries," said Kristjan Loftsson, chief executive of Icelandic whaling company Hvalur which provided most of the meat of the giant marine mammals.
Norway resumed commercial whaling in 1993 despite the IWC moratorium. It has set a quota of 1,052 whales for this season while Iceland has set a quota of 40.
Japan caught 551 minke whales in the Antarctic season that ended in April, short of a target of 850, after its hunting was disrupted by skirmishes with protesters.
He said that Iceland had sent 80 tonnes of fin whale meat caught in the 2006 season, while Norway had exported 5 tonnes of minke whale meat to Japan.
"There are many hungry whale meat lovers in Japan," he told Reuters, adding that the shipment had already arrived in Japan.
Norway and Iceland argue that the whales are plentiful in the North Atlantic and so do not need protection. Iceland and Norway have resumed whale meat exports to Japan for the first time since the early 1990s despite a UN trade ban, a whale e... more -
Stop whaling! Help support a whale sanctuary-
"I support the creation of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary. The South Atlantic is an important whale conservation area that provides the bordering nations with opportunities to develop whale-watching operations. In addition, the Sanctuary would provide a safe area to conduct humane scientific research.
"I call on the International Whaling Commission to approve the South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary during its annual meeting that starts on June 23rd, 2008, in Santiago, Chile." "I support the creation of a South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary. The South Atlantic is an important whale conservation area that prov... more -
Icelandic and Norwegian whalemeat traders 'defying ban'
Icelandic and Norwegian companies have begun exporting whalemeat to Japan.
About 60 tonnes of meat from fin whales caught in the 2006 Icelandic hunt was reportedly sent with a much smaller amount of minke meat from Norway.
The fin whale is listed as Endangered on the internationally recognised Red List of Threatened Species Icelandic and Norwegian companies have begun exporting whalemeat to Japan. ... more -
The beginning of the end for Japanese whaling?
A Japanese public prosecutor announced on 19 May that it was launching an investigation into allegations that workers on whaling ships are embezzling whale meat and selling it to restaurant owners.
Conservationists are daring to hope that the resulting domestic scandal could herald the end of Japan's "scientific" whaling programme.
The formal investigation follows on an undercover investigation which revealed the alleged embezzlement. The investigation was carried out by Greenpeace, who say the activities are a misuse of public funds as the meat is a by-product of publicly funded research.
Greenpeace was contacted by a former employee of Kyodo Senpaku, a for-profit company that carries out whaling for the Institute of Cetacean Research. Kyodo Senpaku receives government subsidies to kill a certain number of whales each year, so that the ICR can carry out its whale research.
The former employee, who has remained anonymous, told Greenpeace of a tacit agreement on board the Nisshin Maru, a Kyodo Senpaku-owned vessel, that the "production workers" who process the meat take home large amounts of it. The crew allegedly preserve the meat in salt and ship it home.
Greenpeace intercepted one of the boxes labelled "cardboard". Inside, they found clothes and 23.5 kilograms of salted whale meat known as unesu. Unesu is taken from the lower jaw to the belly of the whale and is a high-value cut used to make whale "bacon". Greenpeace estimates that the meat was worth between $1100 and $3500. A Japanese public prosecutor announced on 19 May that it was launching an investigation into allegations that workers on whaling ships... more -
Japan Whaling Ship Returns To Port
The mother ship of Japan's whaling fleet has returned to port with a catch of 551 - just about 60 per cent of its target- reminding us that the effort to stop whaling still continues...
The Nisshin Maru docked in Tokyo on Monday, having caught all minke whales and no fin whales.
It had hoped to kill 900 overall, including 50 humpback whales.
The mission had faced a series of violent protests and harassment by animal rights activists in the
Antarctic Ocean.
Japan maintains its whaling programme is aimed at scientific research.
50 Humpback whales? Are you serious Japan? I really am a major Japanophile but I just don't get this... The mother ship of Japan's whaling fleet has returned to port with a catch of 551 - just about 60 per cent of its target- remindi... more -
Whaling protests reduced Japan's kills
Japan's whaling fleet fell short of its target of catching 850 minke whales during the recent hunting season due to protests and repeated 'sabotage' by activists.
A Fisheries Agency official said, "We caught 551 minke whales, far below our original target."
Japan claims it hunts the whales as part of an annual research whaling program. Protesters who disagree with the country's actions repeatedly confronted whaling fleets earlier this year, resulting in a high-profile standoff after two activists boarded a ship, forcing it to suspend whaling for a month. Japan's whaling fleet fell short of its target of catching 850 minke whales during the recent hunting season due to protests and ... more -
Exposing the Japanese Dolphin Hunt
From a Special to the Japan Times:
Slipping away from the over-publicized 'Australia vs. Japan' whaling dialect, already rampant in the media, Boyd Harnell's informative article exposes what the Japanese are up to at home in their own waters.
Financed by Netscape's founder Jim Clark, U.S. conservation group Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS) has finished its yearlong covert filming operation of the waters surrounding Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.
Secret cameras hidden in rocks are used to capture violent footage of the blood-stained waters of Taiji's so-called 'killing cove', where an estimated 2,500 dolphins and pilot whales are killed annually.
The footage is being turned into a major documentary feature film destined for worldwide release this summer - "sure to shock the world." From a Special to the Japan Times: ... more -
Rancid butter "injures" Japanese whalers
The Japanese whalers determined to slaughter 1000 whales this season, were attacked with 24 bottles of rancid butter by Sea Shepherd, a group trying to protect the minke whales in the scope of the Japanese harpoons. In addition to butter, they threw an unknown slippery substance on board. The goal was to prevent further whale slaughters. The Japanese are using the incident to find sympathy from an otherwise unsympathetic global majority. The Japanese are calling the incident an act of terrorism and said some of their whalers were injured. Reports indicate the injuries were superficial.
According to the BBC 2000 whales are slaughtered annually despite an international whaling moratorium. Japanese, Norwegian, and Icelandic citizens still whale, but legally under the law. Whale slaughter is legal while conducting scientific research. Never mind, the tons of meat recovered from these slaughters are sold and consumed commercially.
When I first heard of the Japanese whale slaughter, I sent a letter to the Japanese embassy in Washington DC protesting their actions. Takumi Fukuda, First Secretary (Fisheries Attache) responded last week with a three page letter explaining their position. Among many other points already reported by the press, my favorite argument was as follows: "You may also be interested to note that scientists have calculated that globally, whale populations (79 species) consume 280-500 million metric tons of marine living resources such as fish and crustaceans every year. This is 3-5 times the level consumed by human beings worldwide". Perhaps he rather me be angry with whales for eating the only food sources available to them.
The Japanese Embassy Address is:
Embassy of Japan
2520 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008 The Japanese whalers determined to slaughter 1000 whales this season, were attacked with 24 bottles of rancid butter by Sea Shepherd, ... more
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