(Canberra Times)
Japan looks at quitting Antarctic whale hunts
BY ANDREW DARBY
29 Jul, 2011 04:00 AM
Internal pressure is growing on Japanese whalers over their costly Antarctic hunt, with the Government officially airing for the first time an option of a permanent halt.
An internal review of the loss-making ''scientific research'' program was sparked by last summer's disastrous season, when the whaling fleet was forced out of the Southern Ocean by Sea Shepherd harassment.
In its interim report, a review committee raised concerns over financial problems of the hunt, and while the committee's majority wanted to continue, some wanted to end it, media reports in Tokyo said yesterday.
When the fleet retreated last February, unnamed officials at the Fisheries Agency of Japan commented that the prospects of returning were ''extremely gloomy''.
But the International Whaling Commission meeting in Jersey was told last month by Japanese Commissioner Kenji Kagawa that the decision to recall the fleet was to protect human lives.
''I would like to stress that our decision does not indicate any change in Japan's whaling policy,'' Mr Kagawa said.
Now according to the leading business newspaper Nikkei, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries review committee found that ''withdrawal and reduction of whaling may be a possibility due to [its] financial problem''.
''Japanese scientific whaling costs over 3 billion yen ($A35million) every time, and its deficit is becoming a serious problem,'' the Nikkei report said.
According to the mass circulation daily, Yomiuri Shimbun, the committee's majority wanted to continue despite conservationist harassment.
Yomiuri said the majority found, ''Research whaling is justified on the basis of an international treaty. It should be continued without yielding to heinous interference.''
The minority said, ''If we cannot gain understanding on the research whaling in the international community, we should scale it down or halt it.''
Greenpeace Japan's executive director Junichi Sato said the whaling industry was about to go bankrupt due to the shrinking market for whale meat.
''The report by the committee is confirming that,'' Mr Sato said.
''Japan should not inject any more taxpayers' money to unwanted whaling. Instead, it should be used to help tsunami-affected towns and industries.''
Meanwhile, Sea Shepherd's plans to return to the Antarctic have hit a hurdle, with the arrest of its flagship Steve Irwin, in the Shetland Islands en route to the Faroe Islands to act against a local pilot whale hunt.
According to the group's leader, Paul Watson, the arrest was demanded by a Maltese fishing company claiming damages to its nets and catch in a 2010 Mediterranean blue-fin tuna protest.
He said Sea Shepherd needed to raise a $US1.4million ($A1.2 million) bond to free the ship.
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