Australia, Japan Whaling Standoff
Umer Rizwan
February 07, 2008
Reportedly, Japan´s annual "Scientific Whaling expedition", which started last month, has faced another challenge. Australia is the latest challenger of Japan´s expedition, and reports show that the expedition is heading for a standoff. A video aired today has convinced everybody across the globe to come and stand with Australia on the issue.
Reportedly, Australia has decided to challenge Japan´s whaling expedition in the International Court of Justice. It plans to use the whaling footage http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/whales-not-mother-and-calf-japan/2008/02/07/1202234045814.html released to the world media as evidence. The released footage has enraged experts and ordinary public alike, because of the killing of a whale and her calf. The harpooning itself appeared to be very painful, against the Japanese whalers´ claim of painless death due to explosive filled harpoons. The other evidence of Japan´s past whaling history is given on http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/2008/02/07/1202234033782.html.
The Japanese however, have refused to accept the Australian position on the matter. Japan has rejected the footage as "mistaken information". They have rejected the allegations of slaughtering of ´mother whale and her calf´. They maintain it was a big and a small whale http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/whales-not-mother-and-calf-japan/2008/02/07/1202234045814.html . Besides that, Japanese experts claim that if the whale hunters stop whaling, fishing villages will be economically devastated, along with some industries.
Like the rest of the global community, US have also joined the critics of the Japan whaling http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7101829.stm. UK, Australia and New Zealand have already urged Japan to call off this year's hunt ,which will target humpback whales for the first time in decades. US officials say non-lethal techniques could have achieved the same research goals.
Japan is persistently maintaining that the hunt is for "scientific purposes". The critics are simply not ready to accept killing of planned 1,000 whales, including 900 minke whales, 50 fin whales and some 50 humpback whales for the first time since a moratorium was introduced in the mid-1960s. The species had already been hunted almost to extinction before the ban.
In addition to whaling, there were reports of killings of 20,000 dolphins in Japan in 2007 which attracted media attention, and experts say that this could cause dolphins to be extinct sooner than expected, especially if this trend starts taking place every year.
There are all the chances of deepening deadlock over whaling because Tokyo has reportedly maintained that whale hunting is allowed under the research conservation treaty.
Finally, there will always be a difference of opinion on the footage, depending on where the countries, organizations and individuals stand on the issue. But, the global conscience must not allow killings of hapless whales, which are already recognized as endangered species. Japan and the rest of the world should recognize Australia´s efforts in terms of providing whale sanctuaries and supporting the concerned to protect the whales and sanctuaries. Lastly, Tokyo must take measures to end speculation over the whaling expedition-research or commercial whaling deception.
Additional information:
Guide to Whales
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456973/html/default.stm
Understanding Japan´s whale ethics
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7201804.stm
The Science of Whaling
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6667907.stm
Reportedly, Australia has decided to challenge Japan´s whaling expedition in the International Court of Justice. It plans to use the whaling footage http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/whales-not-mother-and-calf-japan/2008/02/07/1202234045814.html released to the world media as evidence. The released footage has enraged experts and ordinary public alike, because of the killing of a whale and her calf. The harpooning itself appeared to be very painful, against the Japanese whalers´ claim of painless death due to explosive filled harpoons. The other evidence of Japan´s past whaling history is given on http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/2008/02/07/1202234033782.html.
The Japanese however, have refused to accept the Australian position on the matter. Japan has rejected the footage as "mistaken information". They have rejected the allegations of slaughtering of ´mother whale and her calf´. They maintain it was a big and a small whale http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/whales-not-mother-and-calf-japan/2008/02/07/1202234045814.html . Besides that, Japanese experts claim that if the whale hunters stop whaling, fishing villages will be economically devastated, along with some industries.
Like the rest of the global community, US have also joined the critics of the Japan whaling http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7101829.stm. UK, Australia and New Zealand have already urged Japan to call off this year's hunt ,which will target humpback whales for the first time in decades. US officials say non-lethal techniques could have achieved the same research goals.
Japan is persistently maintaining that the hunt is for "scientific purposes". The critics are simply not ready to accept killing of planned 1,000 whales, including 900 minke whales, 50 fin whales and some 50 humpback whales for the first time since a moratorium was introduced in the mid-1960s. The species had already been hunted almost to extinction before the ban.
In addition to whaling, there were reports of killings of 20,000 dolphins in Japan in 2007 which attracted media attention, and experts say that this could cause dolphins to be extinct sooner than expected, especially if this trend starts taking place every year.
There are all the chances of deepening deadlock over whaling because Tokyo has reportedly maintained that whale hunting is allowed under the research conservation treaty.
Finally, there will always be a difference of opinion on the footage, depending on where the countries, organizations and individuals stand on the issue. But, the global conscience must not allow killings of hapless whales, which are already recognized as endangered species. Japan and the rest of the world should recognize Australia´s efforts in terms of providing whale sanctuaries and supporting the concerned to protect the whales and sanctuaries. Lastly, Tokyo must take measures to end speculation over the whaling expedition-research or commercial whaling deception.
Additional information:
Guide to Whales
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/guides/456900/456973/html/default.stm
Understanding Japan´s whale ethics
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/7201804.stm
The Science of Whaling
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6667907.stm
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