Blue whale
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WHALING GONE AWRY
Japan continues to hunt whales and resell them back to the public
though the practice has been outlawed since 1987
by Mike Steinbaugh
November 14, 2000
As World War II dragged on and supplies dwindled in Japan, residents turned to
whale meat as a cheap source of protein. Whale meat was not a common dish in Japan
until the war, though the country claims it was consumed by a large percentage of the
population decades before World War II. Whale populations were at a new low after the
war; as a result, the International Whaling Commission was founded in 1949. The
International Whaling Commission, or IWC, declared commercial whaling illegal in
1986, but has been unable to stem Japan's whaling industry. Through scientific research,
aboriginal sustenance whaling, and poaching, Japan has openly violated the ban on
commercial whaling without resistance from the IWC. While breaking the law, Japan
also strives to reinstate commercial whaling as a legal practice along with Norway, as the
two continuously attempt to drive legislation through the commission.
Whale meat has been eaten in Japan since 1489. The winter 1990 edition of the
Whole Earth Review reports "whale meat has been eaten in Japan for at least 500 years."
Coastal net whaling was developed in Taiji in 1606 and required vast reserves of
manpower and courage. Crews of 300 or more would venture into the open sea and kill a
single whale after a hard fought battle. After the catch, the entire whale would be utilized,
either as food, fertilizer, pesticides, oil, and leather. Japan was outraged in the 1800s by
pelagic whaling, the process in which only blubber, baleen and teeth were taken; the rest
was left to wash up upon shores, wasted (Englund 98-99). However, Japan quickly
adopted this method. Whale was first eaten by Japan on a large scale during World War
II, as it was a cheap source of protein. Many Japanese continue to eat whale meat today
though it is expensive. "Koro" is used for cooking and "sashimi," similar to sushi, is a
dish consisting of raw slices of meat (Englund 99). Japan began to have trouble obtaining
meat since commercial whaling was banned in 1986, but loopholes were quickly
discovered.
In 1987, nine vessels owned by Kyodo Senpaku, a fishing company, began
hunting minke whales legally via a loophole in the policy of the International Whaling
Commission (Politics 42). The company supposedly hunted minke whales for scientific
purposes. In actuality, the company conducted lethal research on the animals not for the
advancement of science, but to increase its profits. The lethal scientific "research"
program continues today. After the whales are killed, their meat is sold to restaurants or
markets, which is in turn resold to the public. Numerous anti-whaling countries,
including the United States, have condemned the practice has illegitimate. According to
Greg Donovan, editor of the IWC's research journal, "the legitimacy of Japan's research
program is split, although there is agreement that it has led to a 'substantial improvement
in knowledge'" (Politics 42).
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International Whaling Commission
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Debate remains strong between IWC council members and employees about the
legality of the "scientific" whaling industry. Katsuo Nemoto, a crew member of one of
the hunting boats, claims that what Japan is conducting is "biological science." Sanae
Shida, a member of Greenpeace Japan, thinks otherwise and ponders, "Do you normally
have to kill animals to do this kind of research?" (Japan 2). The United States certainly
thinks not. Richard Boucher stated in August 2000 that the United States will "boycott
two environmental meetings" and "oppose the choice of Japan as the venue for a meeting
of the IWC next year." Boucher also stated, "the United States is actively considering all
other options…to Japan's expanded lethal whaling program" (Lancaster 1). Apparently,
the United States is not only appalled about Japan's resumption of whaling in U.S. waters
but also the way in which the whales are killed.
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Whale Hunt
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Japan claims that lethal methods are necessary to obtain proper specimens for
scientific research, but the claim is false. Instead of being netting and dragged back to
shore, the whales are killed on location. First, harpooning cripples or kills the whale. In
1606, when the whale did not initially die, a crew member would thrust a knife near the
blowhole of the whale and hold on during the whale's descent into the water until it was
either immobilized or killed (Englund 98). Now, if the whale survives the harpooning, an
electric lance is used to shock the whale to death. Japan claims that "the use of electricity
does shorten the time to death" and that it is essentially a more humane way of killing.
The United Kingdom and New Zealand think otherwise, as they proposed an amendment
in 1999 to ban death by electric shock. The amendment failed after vigorous debate, 16
votes against to 8 in favor (Phillips 216). The inhumane killing of whales still occurs
today.
Japan remains able to import whale meat through the scientific research program,
but whalers and customers are not satisfied with current import levels. Rather,
pro-whalers hope for the resumption of commercial whaling. Recently, whalers have grown
impatient with the International Whaling Commission, whose own reports show that
"minke, fin, gray, and Bryde's whales are now abundant enough to be hunted
commercially" (Politics 42).
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Since the IWC's report indicates that commercial whaling could safely resume,
Japan is not satisfied with the importation of whales through only the scientific research
program. Japan legally catches 440 minke whales from the Southern Ocean, dubbed a
sanctuary in 1994, and 100 from the North Pacific via the scientific research program
annually (Phillips 215). The International Whaling Commission has made no effort to
resume commercial whaling, as ten countries, including the United States, consistently
vote against pro-whaling measures. Japan and Norway are the only two official
pro-whaling members of the commission, though pro-whaling non-members such as Canada
are routinely on hand for meetings (Phillips 215-216).
In 1995, Japan issued a statement at the Kyoto conference regarding "the
sustainable contribution of fisheries to food safety" (Phillips 216). In the statement was a
proposal that whales eat too much fish and make it difficult for fishermen to make a
living. The true intent of the statement was not to promote the well being of fishermen
but the resumption of commercial whaling. Japan hopes for the resumption of
commercial whaling because prices for whale meat, especially from the tail, are currently
astronomically expensive.
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Japan is not entirely reliant upon scientific research for the acquisition of whale
meat; rather, two other methods are used to obtain quantities of the popular product. One
of the other methods used to acquire whale meat is through aboriginal subsistence
whaling, granted to select countries by the IWC. Even the United States, normally
anti-whaling, requested permission for a quota of 5 gray whales for the Makah Indian tribe,
who had not hunted whales for 70 years (Phillips 215). The measure was initially
rejected, but upon resubmission in 1997, the measure passed and the Makah are now able
to legally hunt whales but not sell the meat commercially. Traces of whale species not
studied in the scientific research program have shown up in Japan, many of which are
believed to have come from aboriginal sustenance whaling. The International Whaling
Commission has yet to pass a measure which would utilize DNA testing to verify if a
catch is legal or not. In 1993, biologists from New Zealand and Hawaii performed DNA
tests on whale meat in Japan and found that many of the samples were not minke but
humpback, fin, and blue whales. In all likelihood, these samples were taken from illegally
imported whale meat (Robbins 30). The proposal of a measure mandating DNA testing
has received only mediocre support from anti-whaling nations. For such a measure to be
passed, support must be strong from anti-whaling countries; otherwise, Japan, Norway,
and other pro-whaling countries will be able to reject the measure.
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Crewmen of the Nisshin Maru celebrate their catch of 88 whales
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Japan is not only able to acquire meat through scientific research and aboriginal
sustenance whaling, but also through poaching. Pirate whaling is undetectable and driven
by greed. The operations are executed in large fishing vessels in open waters; if
operations are conducted by a small expedition, much of the whale meat is typically
wasted because it perishes before being transported to refrigerated facilities (Englund
102). The high price for tail meat, $60/kilo (Englund 101), drives pirate whalers to hunt
any whale they encounter, even those that are critically endangered. Endangered species
residing in tropical waters have shown up in the markets and restaurants of Japan. Most
pirate whalers have no problem passing through customs, which does a poor job of
inspecting (Englund 102).
Recently, Japanese poachers have invaded U.S. waters. In September 2000, Japan
was accused of illegally acquiring 88 whales from the United States. The catch not only
included minke but Bryde's and sperm whales, two species protected under U.S. law.
Japan responded by claiming that catches would not only occur in the future but would
occur in a larger quantity—160 whales (Japan 1-2). These whales have been hunted in
the sanctuary and e North for years, but only recently has Japan invaded U.S. waters. It
comes as no surprise that Japan is under fire for the shift—the United States is strongly
anti-whaling. However, residents in Japan are unaware of the present turmoil between
themselves and the United States. Japanese television ratings revealed "TV news
programs were devoted to coverage of the Sydney Olympic Games and showed nothing
on the whaling mission" (Japan 1).
As long as both the price and demand of whale remain high, illegal whaling
practices will continue to be conducted by Japan. The scientific research program will
bring in bigger and bigger catches annually. If nonlethal research methods are mandated,
pirate whaling and aboriginal sustenance whaling will be the only sources of whale
unless commercial whaling is resumed. Since aboriginal sustenance whaling brings in
only a few whales annually, the bulk of imports will come from poaching. IWC reports
show that commercial whaling can safely be conducted without re-endangering the
whales, but the practice remains illegal. While commercial whaling remains unlawful,
Japan will continue to abuse the legality of its scientific research program and import
whales illegally through aboriginal sustenance whaling and poaching.
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Expanding Our Horizons / A Look at How the Rest of the World Lives
The Japanese Whaling Industry
by Mike Steinbaugh
Economics
Ms. Scharf
November 14, 2000
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