Press release - October 10, 2007
Greenpeace today announced the launch of the "Great Whale Trail" *, a website which uses satellite tracking to show the migration of threatened humpback whales from their breeding grounds in the South Pacific to their feeding grounds in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 18 Sept 2007 - A Humpback whale swims past the Cook Island whale research boat, enjoying the warm water and the protected reefs of Rarotonga. Whales are being satellite tagged to produce vital data on their movements, habitat use, and population structure, as part of a project called "The Great Whale Trail". The project is a collaboration between Greenpeace and scientists working on Humpback whales in the South Pacific.
The tracking project will produce vital scientific data on the
whales' movements, habitat use and population structure. The
website is also a window through which the public can follow their
progress and learn more about the range of threats to marine
life.
In stark contrast, under the guise of "scientific whaling", the
Japanese whaling fleet intends to kill 935 minke whales, 50
endangered fin whales and 50 threatened humpback whales this year.
The inclusion of the larger fin and humpback whales means a
four-fold increase in the overall weight of the whaling kill, in
comparison to the smaller minke whales alone. The "Great Whale
Trail" * non-lethal tracking programme is intended to show that
whales don't need to die for science.
"In less than two months, the monitoring of the South Pacific
whales has already generated valuable new scientific knowledge, and
not a single whale has died in the process" said Greenpeace New
Zealand's Oceans Campaigner Mike Hagler. "Over the last 20 years of
Japanese 'scientific research', thousands of whales have been
killed, yet the quality and relevance of the scientific data to
management is remarkably low. The tagging programme is producing
real scientific results without firing a single harpoon."
Greenpeace fears that humpback whales from small, threatened
populations in the South Pacific, where many countries have
whale-watching industries, could be among those killed by the
Japanese fleet.
"The whale meat which Japan brings back from the Southern Ocean
provides virtually no income, whereas Pacific Island countries have
developed whale watching into a multi-million dollar industry,"
said Mr Hagler. "The Japanese government's whaling programme is
jeopardising the economies of whale-watching nations."
The "Great Whale Trail" * website also highlights the need for a
global network of marine reserves which would provide
over-exploited species with a chance of recovery. Website
http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/whale-trail
* The Great Whale Trail is a collaboration between Greenpeace
and scientists working on humpback whales in the South Pacific.
With financial support from Greenpeace, humpback whales from
Rarotonga and New Caledonia have been satellite tagged by the
Center for Cetacean Research and Opération Cétacés, respectively.
The whales' migration from their breeding areas in the South
Pacific to the feeding grounds of the Southern Ocean is now being
tracked in order to produce vital data on their movements, habitat
use and population structure."
The Great Whale Trail website is at http://www.greenpeace.org.nz/whale-trail
Other contacts: Mike Hagler – 021 321 - 379
Michelle Thomas - 021 577 - 556