Japan plans to resume minke whale hunting in the waters of Antarctica, despite a ban by the United Nations on the practice.
Commercial whaling has been prohibited by international law since 1986, although the practice still continues in some areas of the world. The government in Tokyo carried out what it termed scientific examination of the marine animals, resulting in the deaths of the animals studied. Carcasses of the whales lost in these trips were then butchered and sold in Japan.
Minke, fin and humpback whales were the targets of Japanese hunters before the fatal studies were banned by the U.N. Officials in Tokyo stated that only minke whales will be hunted in the revamped studies, as that species is believed to be more numerous than other whales. Other research would be conducted in a manner that is not fatal to the marine mammals.
An international whaling convention signed in 1946 allows the highly-intelligent animals to be killed in the name of scientific research.
The United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled (PDF) in March 2014 that the government of Japan had failed to adequately consider nonlethal methods of studying the animals.
The ICJ also stated sample sizes were unacceptable for scientific research, and the program did not meet accepted standards of scientific research. Tokyo announced at that time that Japan would adhere to the rulings of the international court. The new program is designed to address some of the issues the court mentioned in the ruling. Whaling vessels will collect "data necessary to calculate the size of the whale catch allowed (once commercial whaling resumes)," and "construct a model of the Antarctic Ocean ecosystem," an official of the Japan Fisheries Agency said.
"Collecting the necessary data requires lethal research, which was acknowledged in the ICJ ruling. We've yet to decide on the size of the catch next year.... We plan to submit the new plan to the [International Whaling Commission's] scientific committee for approval in October or November," a Japan Fisheries Agency official said.
Whaling has a long history on the island nation of Japan, and is considered to be a part of traditional life. In June, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe raised ire among many people of other nations when he promised to eventually resume commercial whaling.
Prior to the ruling by the ICJ, whale quotas for expeditions usually called for 935 minke whales to be harvested, along with smaller quantities of other species.
Sea Shepherd, an environmental activism group, has harassed Japanese whaling ships sailing on the frigid waters. Japanese ships have conducted a pair of hunting trips since the international ruling. In June, a total of 30 minke whales were taken by hunters, while 90 sei whales and 26 Bryde's whales were killed the following month.
