Cetacean Killing Continues

By William Rossiter

The Japanese whaling fleet started six ships for the Southern Ocean on 8 November 2005, planning to kill 850 minke and 10 finback whales this season under JARPA II, the latest "scientific" whaling program directed by Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research. For the gruesome details see: http://www.icrwhale.org/JARPAIIResearchPlan.htm.

As if Japan didn't have decades of experience already, the plan's first two years include feasibility studies of sighting and sampling procedures, such "science" as "Methods for catching, flensing and taking biological measurements of large body-sized whales". Beginning with the 2007/2008 Austral season the "full-scale" long-term JARPA II research program will try to kill between 765 and 935 minke, 50 humpback, and 50 finback whales a year. Although their "scientific whaling" is publically condemned every year by many IWC members, Japan sets their own quotas and sells the meat commercially, while asserting that the killing is not commercial. Japan also awards themselves 100 minke, 50 Bryde's, 50 sei, and 10 sperm whales from hunts in the NW Pacific. Part of last years "science" grossed 4.16 million pounds of meat and sold for about $26.4 million.

Both Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd have deployed ships to interfere with the hunt, currently in high seas close to Antarctic shelf ice south of Australia. To follow these brave and determined protests see http://seashepherd.org/ and http://oceans.greenpeace.org/. We wish them well.

Dall's Porpoise. Photo: William Rossiter

400,000 Dall's porpoise have been killed by Japan in the past 25 years, the largest hunt of any cetacean species worldwide. Japan's Fisheries Agency issues permits to kill 17,700 Dall's porpoise every year. CSI applauds the Environmental Investigation Agency for its November report on the killing, at http://www.eia-international.org/.

Dall's porpoise have been targeted from several ports in Japan for many decades, expanding numbers, areas and seasons as modern technology enabled faster, longer range boats. When hunts nearly extirpated other species in some areas, like Hokkaido's kill of striped dolphins in the mid-80's, the hunts switched to Dall's. In 1988 the kill increased to over 40,000 Dall's, reflecting the 1986 halt to commercial whaling.

About 800 tons of Dall's porpoise meat is processed per year. Although against Japanese Agricultural Standards some is labeled as whale meat; it then sells for ten times the price of porpoise meat. Older Japanese are the primary consumers, as it is not popular with younger generations. Contaminated with toxins like mercury at levels three times the safe limit, it may cause health problems for the general population, and bears warnings for pregnant women. It is illegal to export the meat.

The IWC's Scientific Committee, concluding that the level of exploitation was "clearly unsustainable" and of "extreme concern", has condemned the hunt many times but was ignored, including last year. The full IWC passed also-ignored resolutions in 1990, 1999 and 2001.

Last June the Scientific Committee, unanimously and for the 11th time in 15 years expressed concern for the unsustainable Dall's porpoise hunt, and its recommendation to reduce the hunt as soon as possible. The scientists' recommendation was echoed and enforced by numerous countries at the IWC's plenary meeting. Japan continues to ignore the advice of the Scientific Committee and the repeated requests from the IWC to stop or significantly reduce the hunt. Pressed on inflated population estimates, Japan no longer allows its IWC scientists to work on small cetacean issues. Japan also refuses to consider animals struck and lost, which may equal 14 percent over the quota. Systematic under-reporting is rampant; one observed event in 1991 equaled the entire country's declared quota.

The pattern of Japan's exploitation of the oceans is irrefutable; the fleets will turn elsewhere only when the Dall's porpoise are no longer efficient to catch.

The contamination of cetacean meat sold for human consumption in Japan was highlighted in our October newsletter. For the most updated information please see the Safety First website: http://www.safetyfirst.gr.jp/english/index.html. Can you help?

Gorton's of Gloucester, the US's major seller of fish sticks, fillets, and frozen seafood, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon Suisan Kaisha Ltd., or Nissui, a company with a 70-year history of whale hunting. Nissui also owns one-third of the shares of Kyodo Senpaku, the company that conducts the "scientific" whaling program for the Japanese government. Since Gorton's became part of the whaling company in 2001, more than 2,700 whales have been killed by Kyodo Senpaku. Gorton's, a proud company with a reputation to match, could stand it if you chose another source, but can your conscience stand it if you don't? Spread the word and let them know your feelings. See https://community.hsus.org/campaign/gortons/, and choose your seafood carefully.

The Norwegian Fishery Directorate in November blamed bad weather and fuel prices for killing only 639 minke whales from a self-appointed quota of 796, during the season that began in April and ended in October. The season had been extended twice. 31 vessels took part. Near the remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen only five whales from a quota of 145 were killed. Nevertheless, 1052 minke whales will be targeted during Norway's 2006 commercial whaling season, the highest quota in over 20 years. The hunt also plans to expand into international waters. Norway's flawed justifications for the hunt include blaming whales for human-depleted fisheries.

About 800 cetaceans are killed in nets every day. Seventy percent of small cetacean species are affected. To address this and many other issues the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) in November met at the headquarters of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya. UNEP later called for an increase in protection for eight species of small cetaceans: the Ganges river dolphin, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Northern right-whale dolphin, striped dolphin and four others species to be given Appendix II status under the CMS, and also for extensions of protections for seven other species. The short-beaked common dolphin Mediterranean population was placed on both Appendix I and II. World Wildlife Fund-US provided a document describing the top nine global priorities projects for reduction of cetacean bycatch.

UNEP concluded that human threats to small cetaceans are evenly split between accidental bycatch, intentional hunting, and pollution. Habitat degradation, depletion of prey, and noise such as naval sonars catch the rest. Impacts on many species are unknown, there are no easy solutions, and the truth is that a CMS listing is nonbinding, only urging countries to improve habitat and remove obstacles to migrations.

The European Union Commission began legal action in December against eight Member States for insufficient protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises. The countries have been warned they have not established sufficiently effective surveillance systems under the EU's Habitats Directive. Belgium and the Netherlands, for example, only require themselves to monitor the conservation status of cetaceans once a decade. France, Portugal and Spain do not include all their territorial waters and local species of cetaceans. Greece and Italy are even more sporadic, and lack national strategies. Eventually, after layers of bureaucratic exchanges, the Court of Justice may consider whether the Treaty has been infringed, and impose conforming measures on offending Member States.

Do Something REAL About Nets: Win the International Smart Gear Competition and get $25,000! The Competition is the effort of WWF and partners, designed to "inspire and reward innovative ideas to reduce bycatch." Entries are due 15 March 2006. There will be two $5,000 prizes as well as the grand prize. Share this information with anyone that you think is smart enough to enter, because they might provide solutions to many of the problems highlighted in this newsletter. While http://www.smartgear.org/ has official rules, entry form and additional information in many languages, all entries must be submitted in English.