ShiningIce
3rd Level Green Feather
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TOKYO (AP) Japanese whaling ships began a five-month expedition Friday to kill about 400 minke whales in Antarctic waters, the government said.
The country says the hunt is for scientific research. However, most of the meat from the slaughtered whales ends up being sold as food, and critics call the research program commercial hunting in disguise.
The five-ship fleet left Shimonoseki port, about 515 miles south of Tokyo, and are due to return in April next year, said Fisheries Agency official Takanori Nagatomo.
The agency said the hunt will allow researchers to collect data for a longterm study of minke whale migration patterns, population trends and diet. Last year's expedition returned in April with 440 minke whales.
The International Whaling Commission (news - web sites) banned commercial whaling in 1986 to protect the endangered mammals, but a year later approved restricted hauls for Japan's research program. The commission also sets quotas for native peoples who have traditionally hunted whales for food.
Japan says the research kills — which total about 700 whales annually — help it gauge the impact of whale herds on fisheries stocks.
But nations opposed to whaling say the program is no different from commercial whaling, because the Japanese government sells the meat to wholesalers who distribute it to specialty restaurants and supermarkets.
Whale meat, widely consumed in Japan as a source of protein just after World War II, is now considered a delicacy.
U.S. anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society criticized Japan for whaling in an IWC-designated sanctuary. In a statement Thursday, the Malibu, Calif.-based group said it will dispatch a ship from New Zealand in early December to stop the Japanese fleet.
The IWC says the southern ocean and Indian Ocean whale sanctuaries don't apply to research hunts.
Japan's Fisheries Agency estimates there are more than 22,000 Pacific Bryde's, 149,000 North Atlantic minke, 25,000 Northwest Pacific minke and more than 700,000 Antarctic minke. It argues the herds have recovered from near-extinction. Some scientists say the herds are actually far smaller.
The country says the hunt is for scientific research. However, most of the meat from the slaughtered whales ends up being sold as food, and critics call the research program commercial hunting in disguise.
The five-ship fleet left Shimonoseki port, about 515 miles south of Tokyo, and are due to return in April next year, said Fisheries Agency official Takanori Nagatomo.
The agency said the hunt will allow researchers to collect data for a longterm study of minke whale migration patterns, population trends and diet. Last year's expedition returned in April with 440 minke whales.
The International Whaling Commission (news - web sites) banned commercial whaling in 1986 to protect the endangered mammals, but a year later approved restricted hauls for Japan's research program. The commission also sets quotas for native peoples who have traditionally hunted whales for food.
Japan says the research kills — which total about 700 whales annually — help it gauge the impact of whale herds on fisheries stocks.
But nations opposed to whaling say the program is no different from commercial whaling, because the Japanese government sells the meat to wholesalers who distribute it to specialty restaurants and supermarkets.
Whale meat, widely consumed in Japan as a source of protein just after World War II, is now considered a delicacy.
U.S. anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd Conservation Society criticized Japan for whaling in an IWC-designated sanctuary. In a statement Thursday, the Malibu, Calif.-based group said it will dispatch a ship from New Zealand in early December to stop the Japanese fleet.
The IWC says the southern ocean and Indian Ocean whale sanctuaries don't apply to research hunts.
Japan's Fisheries Agency estimates there are more than 22,000 Pacific Bryde's, 149,000 North Atlantic minke, 25,000 Northwest Pacific minke and more than 700,000 Antarctic minke. It argues the herds have recovered from near-extinction. Some scientists say the herds are actually far smaller.
