Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Archives for January 6, 2008

Plan to Hunt Humpbacks Just a Ploy: A Translation from Ann Novek

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I’ve done a rough translation of an insightful article from the Icelandic Minke Whaler’s Association which suggests the Japanese never intended to hunt Humpback whales in the Antarctic:

The Japanese spectacle continues…

During the annual International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Anchorage in May 2007, the Japanese were tough negotiators. They wanted permission to kill humpbacks in the Antarctic, held press conferences and wanted to withdraw from the IWC if their proposals weren’t accepted.

Therefore the decision to hunt humpbacks this Austral summer didn’t come as a surprise and the entire whale discussions was now focused on the humpback hunt and not about the 950 minkes and 50 Fin whales.

The Icelandic whalers now state that the Japanese are very smart and cunning. The Japanese have now declared that they will halt the humpback hunt (a hunt that the Japanese actually never have had an intention to carry out) and now the Japanese stand out as Mr. Nice Guys.

Now the Icelandic whalers want that their esteemed Minister of Agriculture to announce at the beginning of 2008, that Iceland has an intention to increase their whale hunting quotas substantially, 600 minkes, 300 Fins and 50 humpbacks. This would cause an international outcry from “environmentalists”. We would defend ourselves with all kinds of arguments but finally cave in, and half the quota and completely ignore the humpbacks (but this would depend on how the discussions did carry out).

Cheers,
Ann Novek
in Sweden

New Australian Government Not Meeting Expectations on Whaling

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When the new Rudd government was elected in Australia late last year all sorts of promises were made about ending Japanese whaling in the Antarctic including monitoring the whaling fleet. But according to a recent article in the The Australian the government’s stated intention have gotten stuck in neutral:

“A docked Australian ship supposedly monitoring Japanese whaling vessels may have missed observing half of Japan’s annual whale cull.

“Revelations that the Customs Ship Oceanic Viking was still in Fremantle has prompted the Coalition to claim that the Rudd Government was asleep at the wheel and had gone into holiday mode.

“Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt this morning called on the Government to stop partying and going to the cricket, and get back to the job of government.”

And when the Australian government does decide to start monitoring, it will be keeping the Japanese whaling fleet’s location secret, and this is a betrayal of public trust according to an article in The Sydney Morning Herald:

“THE anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd has condemned the Federal Government’s decision to keep the location of the Japanese whaling fleet secret.

“‘The move was a betrayal that would withhold vital information from anti-whaling groups,’ Paul Watson, of Sea Shepherd, said.

“‘Once again the cards are stacked against us, as governments continue to co-operate with each other to maintain the status quo,’ he said, adding the Government owed it to the Australian public to say where the fleet was.

Links and text from JG Moebus in California