General Discussion

G_j

(40,366 posts) Tue Apr 8, 2014, 08:29 AM Apr 2014

Harassed Japan fleet catches fewer whales

http://www.smh.com.au/world/harassed-japan-fleet-catches-fewer-whales-20140408-zqsf7.html

April 8, 2014 - 8:24PM

Japan has caught 251 whales in its latest hunt of the Antarctic Ocean, only a quarter of the planned catch partly because of obstruction by anti-whaling groups, the government says.

The whaling fleet that returned to Japan on Saturday from the Southern Ocean was harassed by the Sea Shepherd group, fisheries agency official Koichi Mizutani said.

The Japanese whalers ‘‘often had to run away from the group and they could not engage in their research (whaling)’’, Mr Mizutani said.

Domestic and international critics say Japan has large stockpiles of whale meat because most Japanese consumers don’t eat it. As of December, it reportedly had 2888 tonnes of whale meat in stock.

Japan has decided not to conduct whaling operations in the Antarctic Ocean later this year, after the International Court of Justice in

The Hague said on March 31 that it must end its ‘‘research whaling’’ program.

Australia had brought the case to the court in 2010, alleging that Japan was breaching international law by killing hundreds of whales each year for commercial purposes.

Australia and the Whales historic win!

Sea Shepherd

Mar 31, 2014The Court finds that Japan's whaling programme in the Antarctic (JARPA II) is not in accordance with three provisions of the Schedule to the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling.

Court documents:
http://www.icj-cij.org/docket/files/148/18162.pdf