Whaling - Reading 4

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Joji:

Japan has limited grazing land and adherence to Buddhist teachings, which prohibit eating land mammals.

Japan has very low food self-sufficiency. Whaling provides an opportunity to rectify this without destroying land.

Whale stocks that are scientifically determined to be abundant enough are an important part of the food security strategy. (Acknowledgement that some species need to be protected)

No more international market for whale oil, and because of rigorous science techniques, appropriate catch quotas can be obtained, so whaling will not be similar to how it was in the "whaling olympics" eta.

Some people argue whales should never be killed for moral reasons, but it is truly no different than killing a pig or a cow.

Japan is committed to upholding law set by the ICRW, which regulated the taking of non-endangered whales, and Japan will respect the law set by them.

Fred:

MORI polling said that most Japanese people hadn't eaten whale since childhood and only 1% of people ate it more than once a month. Only 2% of Japanese strongly support the whaling industry.

Japan argues that fishing stocks are being decreased by whale populations, and this has no sound basis. To propose culling of whales instead of engaging in serious global efforts to curtail over-fishing is irresponsible.

Japan has little credibility in upholding the laws set on whaling. Lawyers may argue whether Japan is technically breaking the law, but few will deny that Japan's efforts have seriously undermined the intent of the ICRW and the wishes of most of its members.

The government insists on blocking attempts to install monitoring techniques, and it would found that whale meat on the market contained meat from protected species and other fish species.

Joji:

The dispute is not simply rooted in cultural differences. It critically questions whether an abundant marine species may be sustainably used for food, or if it should become an untouchable icon

The MORI poll quotes was commissioned by Greenpeace and found to not be statistically significant. A more credible survey found that 77% of Japan supports a sustainable whaling industry.

ICW scientific committee has commended Japan's whaling research and said it will contribute to management of whale stocks.

Japan is leading world effort for a reducing in fishing capacity and whales do eat 3-5 times the amount of food harvested for human consumption.

The IFAW scientists lack credibility and it was found by Japanese scientists that marked whale did not contain illegal whale meat. Additionally, the IWC's management is about whaling, not about regulating markets. Despite this, Japan has volunteered to check up on markets.

Fred:

Japan's whale program does not have a sound scientific basis and the international science community asks you to stop whaling all the time.

Japanese government has repeatedly changed the aims of its whaling program.

IWC scientific committee has already devised a management procedure for whales based on data collected exclusively by observation, and does not require the killing and capture of the whales.

It was concluded that the data collected by Japan's whaling program were not required for management.

The claims that whales are competing for fish resources are entirely unsubstantiated.

The proposal to include DNA testing are not for the purpose of regulating markets but are for the purpose of checking whether catches are within the limits set by the IWC.

Joji:

Changes to the objective of the program were actually additions to reflect IWC resolutions regarding the environment and pollution and questions from the IWC concerning whale stock structure.

The scientific literature does contain studies documenting the impact of marine mammals on fisheries.

We (Japan) believe that whaling should be based around scientific evidence. The IFAW wants no whaling committed, period.

Fred

The resolutions calling on Japan to stop its lethal research were indeed based on scientific research and were not imposed simply because of anti-whaling fanatics.

1/3 of Japanese people believe that whaling should stop if it hurts Japan's international image.