Japanese announce expansion of whaling program

From Geoff Carlin japantoday > national

Japan expands whaling program with new catch target

Thursday, February 28, 2002 at 17:30 JST WASHINGTON - Japan plans to expand its whaling program in the North Pacific Ocean by adding the sei whale, an endangered species, to its catch targets, according to a Japanese government report obtained Wednesday by Kyodo News.

Starting this year, Japan's research fleet in the North Pacific will catch 50 sei whales each year, in addition to 100 minke whales, 50 Bryde's and 10 sperm whales, according to the report submitted to the International Whaling Commission prior to its annual meeting in Shimonoseki, southwestern Japan, in May. (Kyodo News)

News.

Oh boy, now Japan can catch more endangered species. But I'm sure the Japan apologists will have a 'reasonable' explanation for this. More *data* I assume.

Richard Hayduke Lives! 'Industrialism, whether of the capitalist or socialist coloration, is the basic tyrant of the modern age.' Edward Abbey

Great news! However, sei whales obviously aren't endangered, otherwise the Japanese wouldn't be interested in carrying out commercial whaling on them. I guess the americans think they are endangered, so everyone else must be expected to tow the line

There are something like 200,000 of them. That is slightly more endangered than the 2,000,000 sperm whales, and less so than the non endangered grey whales (24,000), or the Brydes Whales (I forgot, what is it? 90,000?).

Brains are endangered among Richard, Geoff, and crew.

200,000 eh. I had a look around, and I could only find an estimate for 40,000 in the southern hemisphere alone. And 100 of those a year is only 0.25%.

Yeah, the Japanese are really slaughtering them all mercilessly.

I will give Richard some credit since we managed to get through a non abusive conversation a wee while back, but you are probably right about Geoff. I'm not sure why he opposes whaling, but at least Richard does have a standpoint, even if I don't agree with him

Very unique logic. By redefining endangered on the basis of what the Japanese hunt or don't hunt the Japanese are always correct in their actions.

line

<sarcasm on/> Better ignore the US scientists about endangered species. Obviously they are all a bunch of Greenpeace wackos. No basis in facts or anything, if they disagree with Japan. <sarcasm off/>

Richard Hayduke Lives! 'By having a reverence for life, we enter into a spiritual relation with the world By practicing reverence for life we become good, deep, and alive.' Albert Schweitzer

Choosing to ignore the politically influenced of 'endangered' is nothing more than that. 'Endangered' in the context of whales rarely means 'endangered'. In most cases it means 'sacred'.

According to the Japanese fishieries agency the sei whale numbers 100,000 worldwide, and 20,000 in the area from which they will take the sample.

The 50 sei whales which they are going to take will have a neglible impact on the stock. That is what is important, not some silly definition made up by WWF in order to grab some fundraising bucks

The U.S. claiming that clearly abundant whale species are endangered has little to do with science and lots to do with politics.