|
|
|
17 April 2009 Japanese whalers fall short of quota [Keyword: whaling ]
Whale watchers and marine mammal enthusiasts around the world might be pleased to learn that Japan fell substantially short of its minke whale hunt quota, thanks largely to disruptive efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society earlier this season in the Antarctic region.
Three vessels from the whaling fleet returned home this week and reported a final tally of 679 minke whales and one fin whale for a five-month effort, much of which was spent in clashes with the crew of the Steve Irwin, of the Sea Shepherd fleet.
Japan's goal had been to kill up to 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales. Shigeki Takaya, a fisheries agency spokesman, told the Associated Press: "This season's catch was reduced as a result of the interference by protesters."
Japan's annual whale hunt draws international criticism and has been condemned by Australia, which claims targeted whales help support that country's whale-watching industry.
Here in Southern California, commercial whaling ended in the early 1900s, after Pacific gray whales had been slaughtered to the brink of extinction. Japan uses a research loophole in the 1986 international moratorium on whaling, and has little outside support and few sympathizers.
Source: LA Times
Photo: Sea Shepherd's Steve Irwin collides with the stern of a Japanese harpoon whaling ship in the Antarctic. Credit: Sea Shepherd
|
Similiar
Stories in the earthdive news database:
 |
01 March 2009: US denounces Iceland whaling move
The United States on Friday denounced Iceland's decision to go ahead with a sharply higher whaling quota, voicing concern there were not whales to sustain the hunt.
|
 |
05 February 2009: Two-thirds of Icelanders back whaling
More than two thirds of Icelanders favour the country's return to commercial whaling and more than half would support an increase of its whaling quota, according to a poll published Wednesday. |
|
29 January 2009: Iceland sets major whaling quota
Iceland's fisheries ministry has issued whaling quotas substantially enlarged from those in previous years, as the government prepares to leave office. |
 |
27 January 2009: Southern Ocean whaling must be halted
NZ Labour Party Conservation spokesperson Steve Chadwick has welcomed moves that would stop the Japanese from whaling in the Southern Ocean.
|
 |
13 September 2008: Greenland seeks whaling breakaway
Greenland is attempting to remove its whale hunt from the jurisdiction of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), BBC News has learned. |
 |
09 May 2008: Govt to drop whaling case against Japan
The Rudd Government is likely to abandon it's legal case against the Japanese Government over illegal whaling in the southern oceans. |
 |
15 April 2008: Turning tide of whaling opinion
Who has 'won' the battle between the Japanese whalers and the environmentalists who set out to disrupt their hunt? Japan only managed to catch 60% of its quota of whales this season... |
 |
14 March 2008: Iceland whaling go-ahead 'likely'
Iceland is likely to approve the commercial hunting of whales for this summer, the BBC has learned. Its whaling industry is asking for a quota of about 100 minke whales and a number of fin whales too. |
 |
09 March 2008: Tentative steps to whaling peace
Talks between pro- and anti-whaling countries on how to resolve their differences have ended with agreement to look for dialogue and common ground. |
 |
05 March 2008: Japan escalates whaling argument
Japan has summoned senior diplomats to complain about an activist attack on its Antarctic whaling fleet using mild acid made from rotten butter. |
|
|
| Previous
Year | Jan
| Feb |
Mar | Apr
| May |
Jun | Jul
| Aug |
Sep | Oct
| Nov |
Dec | Current |
| Get this as an RSS Feed |
Subscribe to this feed
You can subscribe to this RSS feed in a number of ways, including the following:
- Drag the orange RSS button into your News Reader
- Drag the URL of the RSS feed into your News Reader
- Cut and paste the URL of the RSS feed into your News Reader
|
|
|
|
