First animal killed Japan hunts fin whales again
In 2019, Japan resumed the commercial hunt for minke whales, Bryde's whales and sei whales. Now another species is being added. This is causing great excitement.
07.08.2024, 22:29
dpa
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- Japan's whalers are hunting fin whales again for the first time in years.
- Japan's government claims that the stocks of marine mammals are not endangered by commercial hunting.
- International animal and environmental conservationists strongly condemn Japan's whaling.
The Japanese whaling company Kyodo Senpaku has killed the first fin whale, a spokesman for the responsible fisheries authority confirmed in response to an inquiry from the German Press Agency in Tokyo. The authority had recently approved a catch quota of 59 fin whales in Japanese waters for this year. International animal and environmental protectionists strongly condemn Japan's whaling.
Fin whales are classified as "vulnerable" in the Red List. This means that there is a high risk that they will become extinct in the wild in the near future. There are currently around 100,000 animals. Iceland is also hunting the animals, where a total of 128 fin whales may be caught this season.
Harsh criticism
"Commercial whaling is cruel, unnecessary and completely out of date. Japan must stop this nonsensical practice immediately and should instead work together with the global community on urgently needed solutions to protect the oceans," explained Andreas Dinkelmeyer, Campaign Director of the animal and environmental protection organization IFAW in Germany.
This fin whale was caught in Iceland. Japan is also hunting fin whales again.
Image: dpa
This fin whale is stranded. Japan is now hunting the animals again.
Image: dpa
This fin whale was caught in Iceland. Japan is also hunting fin whales again.
Image: dpa
This fin whale is stranded. Japan is now hunting the animals again.
Image: dpa
The spokesperson for the Japanese Fisheries Agency, on the other hand, said that Japan was acting on the basis of scientific findings. According to him, Japan's own investigations had shown that there are many fin whales in the North Pacific.
Hunting only in own waters
In 2019, Japan resumed commercial whale hunting for the first time after a forced break of three decades, following the Asian country's withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
The reason for the withdrawal was Japan's frustration with the whaling moratorium in place since 1986. Tokyo fought in vain for the re-authorization of commercial hunting. Since then, the country has restricted hunting to its territorial waters and economic zone.
Only a few enthusiasts still eat the meat
Previously, Japan hunted three species: minke whales, Bryde's whales and sei whales. Now the fin whale, the second largest living mammal, is also a target for whalers. Japan's government claims that the stocks of marine mammals are not endangered by commercial hunting. In fact, whaling has long been a matter of national sovereignty for Japan's government.
It was once the American occupying power that urged the East Asian country to slaughter whales to supply the then starving population with protein after the loss of the Second World War. But that was a long time ago - today, the dark whale meat has few fans in the wealthy island nation.
