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An open letter from IKAN regarding the support for research whaling using the 'the profitable fisheries' scheme.
Open Letter on Continuation of Research Whaling by Applying “Profitable Fisheries.”
Dear Mr. Sato,
According to the July 20th issue of Minato Newspaper, the Fisheries Agency “revealed a policy that would apply the Fisheries Structural Reform and Comprehensive Measures Project (the Profitable Fisheries Support Project)* to help stabilize the implementation of the research whaling program” at the meeting on July 19th held by the association of Liberal Democratic Diet members who support whaling. Also mentioned in the media was that the research whaling practicing body (Institute of Cetacean Research) said it would start working on the logistics, including renovating research vessels for energy-saving and cost-saving measures.
Read more: Open Letter on Continuation of Research Whaling by Applying “Profitable Fisheries.”
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900 tons, an astonishing 3/4 of JARPN II meat, is left unsold from the auction. Nisshin-Maru returns from Antarctica (whose “mission was cut short by SS”) bringing back over 1000 tons. Now with the whale meat silently mounting in their warehouses, the future of the ICR is uncertain…
On October 27th 2011, the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) announced that it would send 1211.9 tons of whale meat to auction. This is the byproduct of its summer research program in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, and the amount equals much of the meat for commercial distribution previously sold on a negotiation basis. The only exception to the bidding is 3-tons of sperm whale meat, and 235.9 tons secured for public distribution that will be provided to rural communities and schools at low prices.
Read more: Whale Meat Doesn't Sell: The ICR Reports Miserable Result of Auction
The International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) grants permits to take whales to the body who wishes to research whales, with the agreement of the contracting government of the convention which the body belongs to. As this treaty was written in 1946 when the whaling industry was in its peak, the "research" in the text referred to the voluntary scientific research in concurrent to the whaling activities that were taking place. As a result, nobody suspected that this treaty was going to be used as a loophole for taking whales for commercial purposes.
In 1986, the moratorium came into effect. The Japanese government took an advantage of this method, and launched a whaling operation that did not require the international agreement. 20 years have now passed since then- Japan has been
Read more: Let Me Have a Say on the Antarctic Scientific Research Whaling (JARPA II)
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