Whaling fleet leaves for Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary

"Sanctuary means refuge or safe haven, yet this year nearly 1,000 whales will receive neither from the whaler's harpoon," warned John Frizell of Greenpeace International. "The Sanctuary is there to help whales recover after over a century of relentless persecution sent populations plummeting. Japan should join all other countries in respecting the Sanctuary."

The Southern Ocean was designated a whale sanctuary in 1994 and commercial whaling was banned in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission, yet every year since 1987 FAJ has exploited a loophole in international law which permits it to issue licences for the so-called 'scientific whaling'. The IWC has said it does not need the data produced by the 'research' and strongly urges Japan to call off. Such is the scale of the hunt even the most naive observer cannot fail to conclude that this is commercial whaling.

Each year after the whales have been measured and weighed by the scientists they are cut up and boxed for market. FAJ says that "according to Japanese cultural values . whales are viewed as a food source." However, an opinion poll commissioned in 2002 by the influential Japanese Asahi newspaper paints a different picture: only 4% of the population regularly eat whale meat; 9% rarely eat it; 53% haven't eaten it since childhood and 33% never eat it.

"In reality few Japanese people view whale meat as a vital food source and even fewer actually eat it. It is simply not true that whaling is important to the Japanese public and the whaling fleet should not leave for the Antarctic whale sanctuary," said Mizuki Takana of Greenpeace Japan.

Earlier this year, the FAJ announced at the annual meeting of the IWC its intention to more than double its scientific cull to 935 minke whales and to add 50 fin whales and 50 humpback whales over the next two years. Both humpback and fin whales are listed as endangered species.

Among the areas to be studied by FAJ is the impact of whales on fish stocks. The Agency claims that whales are contributing to the collapse of fish stocks. "Ninety nine per cent of the catch will be Southern Ocean minke whales which eat krill not fish. Only the newly added endangered Fin and Humpback whales eat fish," said John Frizell. "Are we really saying that we cannot spare a few fish for endangered whales?"