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?
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