US take Japan to task for new whale hunt (fwd)

Tokyo, July 30 AFP - The United States kept up pressure on Japan today to abandon a controversial decision to expand its scientific whaling program to two new species, warning that the move could result in US sanctions.

''We are deeply troubled by what is happening and believe that it is contrary to various whaling (agreements) that have been passed,'' Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said after a meeting here with her Japanese counterpart Yoheio Kono.

Albright's remarks followed a letter of protest sent to Japan's Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori last week by US President Bill Clinton about the decision to include in its program sperm and Bryde's

Whoa. All that text, and nothing of import at all.

JAPAN RESPONDS TO CRITICISM OF ITS WHALE RESEARCH PROGRAM

The Government of Japan's Fisheries Agency today responded to criticism of its whale research program. Masayuki Komatsu, Counselor for Fisheries Policy of the Fisheries Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said: “It is unfortunate that the politicians in the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand have criticized Japan's whale research program. In doing so they have chosen to ignore science and international law as a result of pressure from certain radical, non-governmental environmental organizations.�

Mr. Komatsu noted that Japan's whale research program is perfectly legal under Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling and that the program had been subject to extensive review by the IWC's Scientific Committee. Mr. Komatsu said “The Scientific Committee has praised Japan's past research programs and we are always open to constructive suggestions to improve the research.�

Komatsu also expressed his view that “Threats of sanctions against a perfectly legal and scientifically sound program are a provocative and inappropriate attempt to impose their values on others by force. It is comparable to a situation where India demands the USA to stop eating beef by suggesting economic sanctions.�

He also pointed out that the Convention requires that the by-products be processed. “The fact that whale meat ends up on the market is a requirement of the Convention to ensure that resources are not wasted. It is not a “loophole� or “illegal� or “commercial whaling in disguise� as the anti-whaling rhetoric suggests.�

Komatsu emphasized that “since the Convention requires that its regulations be based on scientific findings, rather than condemning the research, all members of the IWC should be conducting similar research.� “Criticism of the research in which more than 100 samples and measurements are taken from each whale is a rejection of the basic principle that resources should be managed on a scientific basis�, said added.

Japan's whale research fleet left port on Saturday in order to begin a new research program which will focus on feeding studies of whales and ecosystem modeling. It is becoming clear that whales are eating 3 to 5 times of marine living resources than fisheries catch by humans.

Japan has conducted a whale research program in the western North Pacific from 1994 to 1999 under Special Permit as provided for under Article VIII of the Convention. The program had two main objectives: the study of population structure of minke whales and the study of feeding ecology of minke whales. The program was reviewed by the IWC's Scientific Committee each year and at a meeting held in February 2000.

Since some scientific issues remain outstanding from the 1994-1999 program, the program is being compiled in accordance with the recommendations of the scientific committee of the IWC. Minke, Bryde's and sperm whales will be included as part of the research. The priority for the research will be feeding studies related to prey consumption by cetaceans, prey preferences of cetaceans and ecosystem modeling. The program involves both lethal and non-lethal research techniques such as sighting surveys and biopsy sampling.

Other research objectives include the study of stock structure of minke, Bryde's and sperm whales as well as the study of environmental effects such as chemical pollution on cetaceans and the marine ecosystem.

Mr. Komatsu explained that minke, Bryde's and sperm whales were selected for this research since they are likely major components of the large whale biomass in the region and because their populations are abundant. “Contrary to the myths promoted by some conservation and environmental groups, not all whales are endangered – in fact many are abundant,� said Komatsu.

The research program is planned as a feasibility study for the years 2000 and 2001. A maximum of 100 minke whales, 50 Bryde's whales and 10 sperm whales was to be sampled in each of these two years however, the research catch for this year has been reduced because of the late start of the program. Mr. Komatsu noted that the research would provide valuable data and information to the Scientific Committee and that “It is certain that this small take from abundant stocks will not have a negative impact�.

Mr. Komatsu explained that many international fisheries organizations have urged the development of multi-species management systems. This means that predator-prey relationships among the major components of an ecosystem must be understood. Prey consumption by cetaceans is therefore the main part of the proposed research. Prey consumption and prey preference data will be used as input for ecosystem models.

Please see: http://www.whalesci.org/index.html http://www.jp-whaling-assn.com/ http://www.luna.pos.to/whale/ http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/iwcoffice/ http://www.highnorth.no/ http://www.worldcouncilofwhalers.com/

THE IWC SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE CONDEMNS FLAWED JAPANESE "SCIENTIFIC" WHALING


IWC Scientists confirm flawed Japanese "scientific whaling" program:

"As we, the members of the IWC's Scientific Committee (SC) of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), we attest that the signers of the open letter [against Japan's "scientific whaling"] correctly summarized criticisms made by researchers very familiar with Japanese scientific whaling."


IWC Scientific Committee finds Japan in breach of IWC compliance:

The Japanese whaling corporation described their own "scientific" program as a “long-term research programme of undetermined duration� and gives as its primary objective as: "studies of “feeding ecology�" and, secondarily, "investigations of “environmental pollutants...and stock structure�(Government of Japan 2002). However, the Scientific Committee of the IWC revealed that it does Not employ ecosystem-based management. Consequently,none of the Japanese information derived from such "feeding ecology" study is even relevant to the manner in which IWC assesses and manages whale populations. Thus, the activity that Japan is conducting has been found Not to comply with the IWC.


IWC finds errors, flaws, and inappropriate data in Japan's "scientific whaling" program:

The IWC's prestigious Scientific Committee also exposed fundamental problems in Japan's JARPN "scientific research" whaling studies including a lack of testable hypotheses, failure to take performance measures; inappropriate use of ecosystem models, and failure to include sensitivity analyses, and failure to include key data on other ecosystem components. Other flaws in Japan's "scientific" research, and criticized by the IWC, include Japan's selective or inappropriate use of data and methods in estimating whale abundance; Unnecessary reliance on lethal sampling; Inappropriate geographic sampling for population structure analysis; and Unrealistic assessments of the effect of the proposed catches on the populations concerned (some of which may be depleted, and for which no adequate assessment of current status has been undertaken).



Japan's "scientific research" whaling now condemned by world scientists:

21 distinguished scientists have now come out with a report criticizing Japan’s program of "scientific research whaling" revealing its poor design and unjustified reliance upon lethal sampling. (The panel of world scientists revealing Japan's flawed science includes 3 Nobel laureates).


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JAPANS OWN GOVT IS AGAINST THE ICR WHALING:


PRESS RELEASE:

Official Japanese Govt Minister Taniguchi says regarding whaling. "I hated this issue because there's no point in Japan sticking to its position."

Whaling casts shame on us, "Japan has nil national interest in the whaling industry" said Tomohiko Taniguchi, Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Of the hundreds of matters he had to deal with, the one he dreaded most was defending Japanese whaling programs, he said.

-Statement of Japanese Government Minister Tomohiko Taniguchi, official Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tokyo Japan.



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NOTICE:

The username "mammaT" has posted a flurry of pro whale killing urls, some known to be front groups for animal skinners, the fur commission which traps, kills, and skins animals, and the high north alliance which is an organization comprised of seal beaters and seal killers.

The WCW is a whale killing promoter, it has ties to the Fur Commission, which is made up of more than 400 mink skinners and other industrial skin selling operations & fur corporations. This is a lobbyist faction.

The sites spammed by the user "mammaT" are laced with industrial animal killing front groups. Just so you are aware.

Some of these sites are associated with ActivistCash, which is a site that attacks charities, non-profits, such as the Humane Society, they sued Mothers Against Drunk Driving, etc in connection with a faction called the CCF which tries to trick people with the name "Center for Consumer Freedom" which is essentially a front group for the Cigarette Industry, Meat Industry, and Alcohol sellers.

For example, the CCF gets funding from corporate interests that desire to sell more alcohol. M.A.D.D. places public service announcements telling people NOT to conduct drunk-driving, due to the heartbreaking amount of children killed and traffic fatalities. The CCF attacked Mothers Against Drunk Driving because that *decreased* their "sponsors" ability to sell more & more alcoholic drinks.


Beware of ActivistCash, Centers for Consumer Freedom (CCF), HighNorth Alliance, WCW World Council of Whalers, ICRWhale, Institute for Cetacean Research (fake "scientific" whale killing operation), etc. These are all concocted sites.

Put "SourceWatch CCF" or "SourceWatch centers for consumer freedom" in google to obtain info on these and other scam sites.

That every perpetration of good human(e) conduct and rule is originally supported by groups having financial interest in promoting their own interests is a very old story that will probably never disappear. The best thing to do to go against this is keep on reminding those so-called 'authorities' (who give donations with their left hand while receiving the profits of such cruel activities with their right hand) that we're on to them.
A public outcry against the money magnates is the only thing we can promote.