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On Incidental By-catch and Whale Wars
By Erica Westly | July 1, 2009
A minke whale off the Canadian coast
Credit: Rene Ehrhardt via Flickr Creative Commons
I’ve seen several reports about data presented at last week’s International Whaling Commission meeting, but the most compelling study I’ve read about involves “incidental by-catch.” Japan and Korea are the only countries that allow the sale of whale meat derived from whales and dolphins accidentally caught by fisherman.
At the meeting, two researchers presented genetic data showing nearly 50 percent of the whale meat found in Japanese markets last year came from minke whales from Japanese and Korean coasts. In the past, Japan has claimed the by-catch figure is closer to 20 percent. Needless to say, some researchers have speculated that some of this “incidental by-catch” may actually be intentional.
Japan has been bound by the International Whaling Commission’s ban on commercial whaling for over 20 years. And yet, whaling for “scientific purposes” is still allowed. Japan is permitted to catch up to 150 minke whales a year, and, much to environmentalists’ chagrin, much of the whale meat sold at Japanese and Korean markets comes from these “scientific” catches.
Obviously, whaling remains a hot political issue. Some Japanese politicians claim whale meat is an essential part of their cultural heritage while many researchers and environmental groups want to outlaw the practice completely. The two sides have been struggling to come to an agreement since the 1980s, but as this most recent IWC meeting indicated, the arguing isn’t likely to end any time soon.
And so, while researchers try to quantify threats like the incidental by-catch issue, fringe environmental groups like the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, started by Greenpeace co-founder Paul Watson, take a more head on approach. The group’s attempts to confront Japanese whalers in the Antarctic are documented in the Animal Planet series “Whale Wars” (the second season just started last month).
I would personally prefer to watch a series featuring trained scientists instead of this rag-tag team of activists. On the other hand, sometimes it takes an activist to expose horrible truths. Take, for example, last year’s video of the Hallmark Meat Packing Co. shot by an undercover Humane Society activist. The Sea Shepherd’s footage of a minke whale getting harpooned and shot at with a machine gun has a similar turn-your-stomach feel.
If this were a show about marine biologists, I don’t know that this kind of footage would be included, although it all depends. Look at climate researcher James Hansen’s recent foray into activism.
Topics: Biology, Culture, Environment | No Comments »