Japan Kills World’s Second Largest Whale In Commercial Whaling Program

Japan has resumed the hunting of the fin whales, killing the first in over 50 years. The whale, a 19.6-meter male weighing 55 tons, was captured by Japan’s state-owned Kyodo Senpaku using the newly commissioned whaling vessel, the Kangei Maru.

The action comes less than two weeks after the arrest of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson in Greenland.

Japan has confirmed plans to kill up to 59 fin whales as part of its expanded commercial whaling target, which also includes minke, Bryde’s and sei whales.

The decision comes after Japan quit the International Whaling Commission (IWC), a global body responsible for managing whaling and conserving whales, in 2019. The IWC previously operated under a scientific research loophole.

Norway and Iceland have violated the IWC’s 1986 commercial whaling prohibition by taking advantage of regulatory loopholes.

The Australian government, led by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, has expressed deep disappointment over Japan’s decision.

Plibersek criticized the inclusion of fin whales in Japan’s commercial hunt, reiterating Australia’s opposition to any form of commercial whaling.

The Australian Marine Conservation Society’s CEO, Darren Kindleysides, condemned the hunt describing it cruel, inhumane and unnecessary and urged for a strong stance at the upcoming IWC meeting in Peru.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists fin whales, the world’s second-largest whales, as endangered.

Despite global conservation efforts, these majestic creatures are threatened by historical whaling and ongoing environmental challenges.

International conservation groups have strongly criticized Japan’s expansion of whaling activities.

Nicola Beynon of Humane Society International (HSI) criticized the killing as causing severe suffering and pointed out the lack of justification for such actions.

HSI’s Adam Peyman emphasized the critical need for whale conservation amid rising threats from climate change, pollution and ship strikes.

Watson, the founder of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation, remains in custody in Greenland, awaiting Denmark’s decision on Japan’s extradition request. His detention has been widely condemned as a political move to obstruct anti-whaling efforts.

Prominent figures have expressed support for Watson’s release, including French President Emmanuel Macron, filmmaker James Cameron, and conservationists Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Sylvia Earle.

Reference: Paul Watson Foundation, The Guardian