You might have heard that #Japan is set to resume commercial whaling. The truth is, they never quit commercial whaling, they have just called it "research" whaling since the late 80s, but it's been a commercial venture despite the fake name. So why are they now making the change?
The primary reason comes with the aging factory vessel, the Nisshin Maru, which is the center of the whaling fleet when hunting whales in the Southern Ocean. This ship was built in 1987 and it's getting old. Last year, Japan announced they were retiring this ship and building new
What most people do not know however, is that other than the whaling in the Southern Ocean, Japan has always had a second whaling fleet that hunts whales in Japanese waters of the North Pacific! This second fleet is made of much smaller vessels and there is no "mother ship".
They don't need a factory (mother) ship for this fleet because the whaling happens close to land. The smaller harpoon ships tie a dead whale to the side of their hulls and just bring the whale into the harbor, where its scooped out of the water with a crane and front-end loader.
During the off season these smaller harpoon ships are usually docked in traditional whaling towns like Taiji in Wakayama Prefecture, but are taken far north to Kushiro where they hunt for whales. However, I assume now they'll be hunting in just about every sq. mile of Japan's EEZ
Japan announced it is ending its whale hunting in Antartica, so this leaves me with the 'assumption' the Nisshin Maru can no longer pass seaworthiness tests and is being retired. Leaving Japan with the only option of "local hunting" with the smaller "North Pacific Fleet".
I assume that we haven't heard the last of Japan hunting the Southern Ocean. I suspect a new factory ship is under construction and when its completed, they'll look for a way to restart whaling near Antartica. The reason is because whale meat from their home waters has a stigma.
Those in Japan who eat whale, don't want "locally caught" whales over fears that their home waters have a lot of pollution (and also radiation). They want whale meat from the "pristine" waters of the Southern Ocean.
I suspect this is only a guise to allow them time to build a new factory ship, and possible a few new harpoon vessels capable of operating in the Southern Oceans. Iceland is also a country that rejects international whaling agreements and hunts whale in their own water.
So what Japan is doing until this new ship is built is basically the "Iceland Model" of whaling. When the new ship is finished, they'll rejoin the IWC and declare an end to "commercial" whaling, the world will cheer - and they'll resume a larger "scientific" whaling program.
There is a way to get Japan to end ALL whaling, I believe. They have agreements with many nations, including the USA, to fish in those nation's EEZ. All these nations have to do is cancel those agreements. Our fish is worth more money to them than their whales.
You might be thinking "Sea Shepherd" can stop this. But, they can't. Sea Shepherd cannot enter Japan's EEZ. If they did so, the Japanese Coast Guard can arrest, or even sink their vessels! And when they get these new ships built, I suspect they'll be extremely fast.
Faster ships means it will be harder to keep up with them, and thus have any effect on their hunting. The ONLY way that we can all stop them is by pressuring our own governments to deny Japan fishing rights in our waters! If enough governments do that, Japan WILL end whaling!
There is also precedent for this.
Your homework: Packwood-Magnuson Amendment.
This has been sitting on the President's desk since the 80s (so to speak). All it needs is the signature of "The President".
#EndWhaling
nytimes.com/1988/02/11/bus…
Your homework: Packwood-Magnuson Amendment.
This has been sitting on the President's desk since the 80s (so to speak). All it needs is the signature of "The President".
#EndWhaling
nytimes.com/1988/02/11/bus…
