Two-thirds of Japan's citizens claim to support whaling. And yet the whale meat continues to go uneaten. What's up with that?
Apparently the whalers are going broke because they can't market their catch and they have to pay back over $37 million in government subsidies that have supported their "scientific research."
Something's not right here when a country can claim to have over 60% supporting the culling of whales and yet can't be bothered to support their whalers nor buy and eat the meat.
Give it up Japan. You're starting to look even more ridiculous now.
IWC (International Whaling Commission) will meet next month in London to discuss the current moratorium on whaling and what kind of an agreement can be reached between the pro and anti whaling nations of the world.
Failing that, they'll next try at the next meeting in Chile this June.
Excerpt:
from the whales' perspective at least, a new deal along these lines might have something to commend it. Closing down the unilateral 'loopholes' and setting strict international catch limits based on internationally-agreed scientific assessment of whale stocks could actually result in fewer, not more, whales being caught. It might also include the enforcement of internationally-acceptable humane methods as far as the capture and killing of whales is concerned.
More here: Int'l Whaling Agreement is Needed
Meanwhile, the EU (European Union) is urging all of its member states to take a stand against whaling. More and more countries are speaking up on this issue, which in turn is putting a lot more pressure on countries like Japan and Norway, who continue to kill thousands of whales annually.
The IMAX 3D movie of Dolphins and Whales is now out at selected IMAX theatres internationally. Please check the website to see if your area is on the list of upcoming showings. I'm definitely not going to miss this one.
Mahalo,
Dolphin
