Feature story - February 6, 2008
The Japanese whaling fleet has again defied world opinion and resumed whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
The Australian Customs vessel, the Oceanic Viking, reports that the Fisheries Agency of Japan’s whaling fleet has killed at least five whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
The sanctuary had remained fatality free for the whales for two
weeks due to the Esperanza chasing the factory whaling ship, the
Nissin Maru, across the Southern Ocean for 5,000 miles.
Without the factory ship, the rest of the whaling fleet were
unable to operate - bringing the entire whaling program to a halt.
During the two weeks Greenpeace spent with the fleet more than 100
whales were saved.
After the Esperanza gave chase across the Southern Ocean,
media coverage and public discussion on the whaling issue is now
reaching unprecedented levels in Japan, where Prime Minister Fukuda
has been forced to discuss the whaling issue in Parliament.
Once more, Japanese taxpayers must be wondering why they are
funding this fake research operation which produces no real
science, whale meat that no one wants to eat, and brings their
country into international disrepute.
The campaign to end whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale
Sanctuary is now moving from the open ocean to Japan where we are
calling on Canon - a company known for its support of conservation
issues, to publicly speak out against whaling.
Already over 44,000 concerned camera owners from around the
world have responded to our call to email Fujio Mitarai, the CEO of
Canon Japan. Fujio Mitarai is also the head of the influential
Nippon Keidanren (Japanese Business Federation).
Take Action
Ask the CEO of Canon Japan to defend whales