Now is the Chance to Change to Non-lethal Research

End Research Whaling Funded by the Wasteful Injection of Public Funds

Research whaling started out as a measure against the whaling moratorium in 1986 to revive commercial whaling. The research program continued with the sales profit of the whales they killed, as well as government subsidies, but as it has come to light by Junko Sakuma's report, the system has already collapsed.

We hope to see the immediate end to the research whaling that has been guzzling taxpayer's money based on outlandish logic. If they must continue with their research, it is important to remember that there is no need to profit from meat sales. Indeed, Japan is able to contribute to the international community by non-lethal research, leveraging Japan's world-class top scientific technologies and collecting numerous data.

Marine product corporations that were in full-scale operations during the commercial whaling period are now pulling out from whaling in Antarctica one after another. There is simply no reason, or demand, to go to the other side of the globe and carry out research whaling using such a considerable amount of energy. In fact, it is more logical to separate whale meat supply and research whaling completely. If there is an absolute necessity for the meat, it is better to find another way, which costs less money and perhaps able to gain better international understanding.

IKAN hopes that Japan will take this opportunity to play a major part in cetacean research with non-lethal methods.

Please send your opinion for the change to non-lethal methods in research whaling.

Office of Prime Minister http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/iken.html

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries https://www.contact.maff.go.jp/voice/sogo.html

profitable_fisheries_e.pdf (860KB)