Japan’s annual whaling expedition off the port city of Kushiro has resulted in the killing of 59 minke whales – just one whale short of the 60 allowed by international guidelines.
Under the cover of its so-called research program, Japan has slaughtered 59 minke whales – almost the maximum of 60 authorized by the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
The expedition reportedly took the lives of 36 male and 23 female minke whales, and the Fisheries Agency claims that the slaughter is for the purpose of studying the whales’ “feeding patterns and their effect on fish stocks.”
In addition to these killings, Japan also slaughters about 1,000 whales in the Antarctic Ocean and the northwest Pacific Ocean under an “IWC research program”.
Because the whale meat ends up in the marketplace for consumption, it is strongly suspected by conservationists and environmental organizations that Japan’s “research” is actually a cover for its ongoing commercial whaling operations.
Image: Wikimedia Commons
About Rhishja Cota-Larson
