Japan plans to catch about 850 minkes annually in the Antarctic Ocean starting with a voyage in late 2005, said its research plan submitted to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) at the opening of an annual meeting in this South Korean port.

The quota system lets a country go 10 percent above or below the round figure, meaning Japan could go up to 935 minke whales. Currently, Japan has a guideline of 400 whales a year and most years kills the top limit of 440.

Japan, where whale meat is part of the diet, says Western nations that oppose its hunt are offending its culture and that it does not need IWC approval. Australia has spearheaded efforts to stop Japan from hunting near its waters.

Japan also said it would extend its hunt from minke whales to larger fin and humpback whales, which are both considered endangered by the World Conservation Union.

Japan said it will hunt 10 fin whales annually for the next two years and then raise its quota to 50, with the program to be reviewed in six years. Japan also plans to hunt 50 humpbacks annually from the third year or late

The boost in the Antarctic Ocean will bring Japan's annual cull of whales to about 1,300 as the country also hunts about 380 minke and other whales in the northwestern Pacific.

Japan reluctantly accepted a 1986 IWC moratorium on whaling and ended its commercial whaling in the Antarctic Ocean with a voyage from late 1986 to early 1987.

But it started "research" whaling with a voyage from late 1987, in line with the IWC charter but was harshly criticised by anti-whaling nations that see it as thinly-disguised commercial whaling.

The meat from the "research" is sold on the market in line with IWC rules.

Japan said in a statement its new program was meant to "shed light on the ecosystem centering on whales in the Antarctic Ocean, develop a management model covering several species of whales and improve management of minke stocks."

Japan will collect data such as the whales' maturity, pregnancy ratios and stomach contents for "more appropriate management of whale stocks," it said.

Japan says whaling is an essential part of its heritage that if conducted sustainably and through strict quotas should be allowed to continue.

It says recovering whale stocks are increasingly swallowing up profits of the Japanese fishing industry, an argument environmentalist groups completely dismiss.

Earlier this month, the WWF conservation group laid into the hunt, saying Japan's stance that it kills whales for research is not only a commercial hunt in disguise but is also based on lousy science.

It also said "research" on whales would be more effective by conducting genetic tests on small samples of whale skin that can be removed in a non-harmful way.

But Japanese officials argue that non-lethal research gives them only limited information and they need to kill whales to get more detailed data such as how mature they are and whether they are active in reproduction.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express
Dirt, rocks and all the stuff we stand on firmly

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS Solar Energy Solutions Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ... Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News