Hearings in the Hague about Japanese whaling

In 2010 Australia took legal action against Japan over the whaling that it has been doing in Antarctica. Despite the ban on commercial whaling that was decided by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) about 25 years ago, Japan has caught an average of approximately 1000 whales each year for what it considers "research purposes." Scientists in other parts of the world do not agree that whales have to be killed into order to conduct "research" on them. There are many non-lethal methods of research. For example, whales have very distinctive fins and, since they're mammals, they must come up to the surface for air every so often. So, if we want to know how many whales there are, they can be counted just by observing them. Also, the meat from the whales that Japan hunts usually ends up on dinner plates and in pet food, so there is a commercial dimension of the hunt.

Public hearings about Japan's whaling activities in the Antarctic will take place in Holland next month. Representatives of both Australia and Japan will give their views on the issue at the hearings. According to Australia's attorney-general, Mark Dreyfus, Australia will try to argue that "Japan's whaling hunt is not for scientific purposes and is against international law." It will be interesting to see the result of these hearings.

Australia to face japan over whaling in UN court. (2013, April 12). BBC News (Asia). Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22119410

Have you ever eaten whale meat? Watch this BBC video and give your opinion about whether you think the eating of whale meat is worth the damage to Japan's reputation--not to mention the damage it causes to whale populations?

Who's eating whale meat? -- Doesn't seem to be selling well

Earlier in my blog, I wrote about The Institute of Cetacean [whale, dolphin, and related creatures] Research, the quasi-public organization in Japan that coordinates whale hunting expeditions in the name of "research." According to a commentary I found on a site that offers news and information for the cattle industry, The Institute of Cetacean Research has reported that "75 percent of the more than1,000 tons of meat from whales harvested as part of the country’s (alleged) deep-sea 'research mission' was passed over by buyers, despite repeated attempts to sell it off.." I was surprised that people in the beef industry in the States would be interested in following news on the consumption (or, in this case, non-consumption) of whale meat. But, I suppose they feel that one less meal of whale may mean one more potential serving of U.S. imported beef.

The commentator notes the paradox that while whale consumption has gone steadily downward, the public support for whaling in Japan remains high. He believes that to be the case because of the provocative and escalating tactics by whaling opponents such as Sea Shepherd. This is an organization that sends ships, helicopters, and inflatable speed boats to the Southern Ocean to pester whaling crews until they can't take it any more and head back to Japan earlier than planned. Although the activities of Sea Shepherd have put Japan's whaling operations in the Japanese media spotlight, Sea Shepherd is portrayed as a racist, violent band of eco-terrorists targeting innocent crews of "research ships" sent out to prove that whale stocks can support managed whaling.

So, the weird situation arises where Japanese, who don't wish to eat whale meat and who would not otherwise support such a wasteful and highly subsidized industry, come out in favor of it in the name of patriotism and in defense of a mythologized whaling "tradition." The author suggests that the "power of positive public and peer pressure" to bring pro-whaling nations (such as Japan and Norway) in line with the world consensus is more productive than provoking them to stubbornly continue killing whales for nationalistic reasons that have nothing to do with consumer demand, genuine needs, or cultural continuity (after all, Britain and the U.S. had "cultures" of whaling that are now part of their historical legacies).

I agree with the commentator up to a point, but I think that persistent interference with the whaling operations--WITHOUT the hurling of butyric acid or attempts to entangle the propellors of ships with rope--are necessary because they show that the world is watching and that whalers will not be able to quietly go about their "business as usual." As soon as the protest activities turn violent, hearts become closed to the plight of whales and defensive stances solidify into nationalistic posturing and a willful desire to defy the world.

Murphy, Dan. "Commentary: Whale of trend." Drovers CattleNetwork News. 14 June 2012: 1. Web. http://www.cattlenetwork.com/cattle-news/Commentary-Whale-of-trend-159057315.html?ref=315.

Is Sea Shepherd's work productive in the long run?

Paul Watson, and the group Sea Shepherd which he represents, have become infamous in Japan due to their aggressive tactics, not only against Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean, but also against fishermen who kill huge numbers of sharks for the shark fin trade, and coastal whalers (such as those in the Faroe Islands who hunt small whales that come near their shores). When passing through Frankfort Airport in Germany recently Watson was arrested because he was wanted in Costa Rica for a 10-year-old charge against him for the alleged endangerment of the crew of a fishing boat that was doing illegal shark fishing. He claims that the whole incident was on film and the film shows that the crew of the boat that Sea Shepherd was escorting to port was never in danger. But, he may have to be sent to Costa Rica for trial. He has made many enemies over the years since he and his group have interfered with lucrative business interests. Although I question some of Sea Shepherd's methods, they are good at stirring up controversy, and they have been successful in getting Japan to end its annual whale hunt in the Southern Ocean early. What Sea Shepherd does, brings up the question of whether methods which sometimes put people in danger are justified if it means our oceans and the creatures in them are protected? We also have to ask whether their methods can lead to long term benefit for whales, dolphins, sharks, and the oceans where they live? Or, might Sea Shepherd create resentments--as they seem to have done in Japan--which make people more determined to continue doing what they are doing?

Balmer , Etienne. "Anti-whaling group leader ordered held in Germany." Yahoo News. (2012): Web. 31 May. 2012. http://news.yahoo.com/sea-shepherd-anti-whaling-founder-arrested-germany-023752253.html.

Here's a Sea Shepherd PR video in support of Paul Watson's release from house arrest in Germany:


 Sea Shepherd. (2012, June 6). Entourage’s Perrey Reeves Speaks Out for Captain Watson [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqcrFo-3LhA

The video embedded below shows the official view of the Japanese government, and unofficial view among some Japanese citizens, of the actions of Sea Shepherd:

Prowhaler. (2008, January 26). “Eco-Terrorist” Sea Shepherd and Australian Media (English) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX7GDq4FLSI

Whaling is History

An idea I came up with for an NGO/ NPO in Japan related to saving whales from annual "harvests," is one that would conduct campaigns that show whaling as a proud part of Japanese HISTORY. It's possible to honor one's history and culture but acknowledge that times have changed and old-fashioned practices (such as whaling) need not continue. I got this idea when I borrowed a CD from Prof. Pounds which features whaling and sailing songs, sung by a wonderful folk singer named Paul Clayton, whose ancestors engaged in whaling themselves. Some of the whaling/ sailing songs that he sings, he learned from his grandfather, and others he discovered in the logs from 19th century whaling ships. He found these ships' logs at a whaling museum in New Bedford, Massachusetts on the East Coast of the U.S. This town was famous as the starting and ending point of whaling expeditions. Even the author Herman Melville, the writer of Moby Dick, set out on some of his whaling journeys from there. And, surprisingly, a log from a whaling ship based in New Bedford lists a "Joseph Dias," perhaps a relative of mine from Portugal, as being the 2nd mate of a ship called "Sun." That information was made available by the New Bedford Public Library.

Here's the CD cover of the whaling/ sailing songs on the CD that I mentioned above. It's very soothing music. It seems that singing was an important part of the life and work of men who labored on whaling ships. Crew members who were good singers became popular onboard the ship and they were appreciated by the captain and officers.

So my plan is to create an NGO in Japan that would honor Japanese whaling traditions but make it clear that it is a practice that belongs IN THE PAST. It isn't suited to the modern world because it is not sustainable and there has been a long-time (since 1986) moratorium on whaling by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). 

Another reason why it's not a good idea to continue whaling

When I was listening to the BBC World Service this morning I heard a very disturbing story about how a recent report by a group of experts in various fields related to oceanography, showed that the condition of the ocean is much worse than expected. They think that we might be entering a period when many species of marine animals are in danger of becoming extinct. Although the earth has experienced mass extinctions before, this one may be the worst in human history. The greatest threats are caused by global warming. But, increased pollution of the oceans, the fact that the ocean is becoming more acidic, and overfishing are all contributing to the problem. The decline in the condition of the ocean is increasing at a much faster pace than previously thought. The various factors seem to work synergistically to accelerate the decline. For example, pollution sticks to small particles of plastic on the bottom of the sea. Because of that, fish which live in the bottom of the ocean are more likely to consume the pollutants. They carry it throughout the food chain. All the way up to bigger fish and whales.

This just provides more evidence for why we need to protect marine resources, including whales. Our continued consumption of large quantities of them can push them to the brink of extinction.

The following article explains in detail what the BBC World Service radio reported on this morning's news:
Black, Richard. "World's oceans in 'shocking' decline."BBC News -- Science & Environment, 20 June 2011: Web. 21 Jun 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13796479>.
An older article I found on the BBC news site told how even sharks, especially ones that swim in the open ocean, are disappearing at an alarming rate, mostly due to overfishing, sometimes just for their fins. You can refer to that article by clicking on the link below:
"Threat to ocean sharks increases." BBC News, 22 Feb 2007: Web. 21 Jun 2011. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6385995.stm>.

Survey on Whaling

I've created a short survey which presents questions about interest in environmental issues and attitudes toward whaling. If you can spare 10-15 minutes of your time to answer the questions, it would be much appreciated. The survey was created at surveymonkey.com.

Making discoveries through using "word clouds"

Word clouds (also called "tag clouds") are used for various purposes. They can be just decorative, but they can also reveal various things about text used to create the cloud. The following two word clouds were created from Greenpeace's page on Japanese whaling:

Greenpeace, . "Japanese Whaling." Greenpeace International. 2011. Web. 2 Jun 2011. <http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/about/>.

You'll notice that Greenpeace emphasizes that it is "the Japanese" who are doing the whaling. "Southern Ocean," another way of saying the Antarctic Ocean, also appears many times, and so does the word sanctuary. This suggests that Greenpeace wants to stress that Japan is sending their whaling vessels to the southern ocean, which was designated as a sanctuary for whales and other sea life.
 
The following word clouds were made using the Q & A page of the Japan Whaling Association, a pro-whaling publicity page that tries to present the whalers' perspective on the whaling issue.

JWA. "Questions & Answers about Whaling." Official Home Page of the Japan Whaling Association. The Japan Whaling Association (JWA), 2011. Web. 3 Jun 2011. < http://www.whaling.jp/english/qa.html >.

 

 You can see from the word clouds that "research" is emphasized and they are trying to promote the idea that the whales are being caught for "scientific" purposes. Unlike, the word "hunt," which is fairly prominent in the Greenpeace word cloud, the more benign "catches" appears 11 times in the JWA web page.