Japan to 'quit' Antarctic whaling

Source: The Age (Melbourne)

Japan to 'quit' Antarctic whaling
Andrew Darby
February 16, 2011 - 2:29PM

Japan's whaling fleet is believed to be quitting the Antarctic under heavy conservationist and diplomatic pressure, just halfway through its worst season.

The Japanese government has decided to cut short the season and the fleet is heading back to port, sources in Tokyo told the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

The sudden departure has raised hopes Japan may be moving to end its widely opposed, 23-year-old "scientific research" program, which has killed about 10,000 Antarctic whales.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/environment/whale-watch/japan-to-quit-antarctic-whaling-20110216-1aw0k.html

good news

entrenched bureaucracy. Amazing that they responded to pressure at all.

:thumbsup:

:loveya:

Or is it that the Sea Shepard Folks have scored a victory!

They will stay until they have to leave (supplies) or the whalers head back to Japan. Right now, SSCS is chasing the factory ship westward now.

Excellent news!

However will we learn more about the whales if the Japanese aren't out collecting them for study.

And because I know saying something and writing do not always convey the same:
:sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

I mean, it was all just research.

Right?

Fuckers.

Whether it is of much value is open to debate, but there has been a steady stream of papers

:applause:

Sea Shepherd have done what the Australian Government was too uncaring - or too chicken - to do.

I hope this was due to Sea Shepherd!

Japan temporarily halts Antarctic whaling mission
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 16, 2011; 1:56 AM

TOKYO -- A government official says Japan has temporarily suspended annual Antarctic whaling after repeated disruptions by a conservationist group.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been chasing the Japanese whaling fleet for weeks in the icy seas off Antarctica, trying to block Japan's annual whale hunts, planned for up to 945 whales.

Fisheries agency official Tatsuya Nakaoku says Japan has halted the hunt since Feb. 10 after persistent disruptions by the anti-whaling protesters "to ensure safety."

He said the fleet plans to resume hunting when conditions are deemed safe.

The annual whale hunts for scientific purposes are allowed by the International Whaling Commission as an exception to the 1986 ban, but opponents say they are a cover for commercial whaling.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/16/AR2011021600316.html

...and costs much less to produce.

Not in the least the whole "hiroshima" thing.

they're just conducting perfectly valid scientific research.

Answering such pressing questions as: 'what does whale meat taste like', and 'how many whales can we catch this season'

Sadly, I think the Japanese cut their whaling season short for economic reasons, not a change of heart.

I feel a long term solution would be to turn the Japanese consumers against eating whale meat. Those whaling fleets don’t come cheap, and with no customers, they could not afford to continue their “research”.


…Of course, arming the whale with anti-ship missiles would work even better. :)


Macoy

but it will only end when the consumer stops demanding whale meat.

I found it rather tough and gamy, not unlike bear meat.

Apparently whale meat is an acquired taste that certain Japanese want to keep in the national palate, claiming it has a traditional place in Japanese cuisine. Others claim that it was actually snuck into Japanese school lunches in the wake of World War II and the poor kids who had to eat it were only told that whale meat is a traditional food.

Whatever the case, the whole thing is screwed up. The International Whaling Commission was originally formed to regulate whaling, not outlaw it, and that ticks off the Japanese, Icelanders, and Norse. The Japanese respond to the dubious ban with dubious science as a front for commercial harvesting, while the Scandies openly defy it from time to time. Oh, and a whale penis isn't really called a "dork," either.

Layer upon layer of whale poop.

:yourock:

Paul Watson says it's unclear whether the Japanese are turning in a large circle to go home, or returning to the hunting grounds.

"The harpoon vessels remain in the Ross Sea and we intend to stay here until they leave.

"We don't know if this suspension is permanent. Two weeks or two days, we don't know.

"It could be a ploy but all indications are that yes they are going home but we don't know that for an absolute certainty," he said.

"We had planned to be here until the end of March, the end of whaling season but we don't know."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/17/3141077.htm


It may be just a ploy, but the Japanese have only caught 100 whales, way short of their target of 940. That's still 100 too many, but a poor economic result for them, and in the end, that would carry more weight than any other argument against whaling.

The Whalers Have Stopped Running East and are Now Turning West






Updates will be at the Sea Shepherd News and Media page.

:woohoo:

Conservationists unsatisfied by whaling suspension
The Associated Press
Wednesday, February 16, 2011; 11:47 PM

CANBERRA, Australia -- Conservationists and the Australian government say they are not satisfied with Japan's suspension of whaling in Antarctic waters and vow to continue their separate campaigns to force a permanent end to the hunt.

On Wednesday, a Japanese official said Japan had temporarily suspended its annual Antarctic whaling after repeated harassment by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ships.

Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke said Thursday that the country would continue to pursue its case in the International Court of Justice to have whaling banned.

Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson said it was premature to claim Japan's suspension was a victory for whales.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/16/AR2011021608185.html