Japan's whale meat industry fails

New figures from Japan show that, whilst the Japanese Government has dramatically increased its whaling quotas, a large and growing proportion of whale meat and whales is going to waste.

According to figures released by the Japanese Government, and analysed by IKAN, the Whale and Dolphin Action Network in Japan, the amount of meat used from each minke whale killed in its 2005/6 Antarctic hunt dropped 13.6% (600kg) from previous years. This represented over 50 whales killed but unused this year.

Japan’s market for whale meat has been slow for some time and huge stockpiles of meat have been building up in its warehouses, yet it has continued to increase dramatically its self-allocated whaling quotas and push for a resumption of commercial whaling, which was banned in 1986. At this year’s meeting of the International Whaling Commission, which begins on Friday, Japan and its pro-whaling allies look set to have a majority of votes for the first time since the 1970s. Whilst the ban on whaling can only be lifted with over three-quarters of the vote, Japan has threatened to use its pro-whaling smaller majority to delete some issues that are vital to whale conservation and welfare from the agenda.

Sue Fisher, Whaling Expert from WDCS said "Japan’s expanding whale hunting makes little sense; there is little need for the whale meat yet gross overproduction. Japan’s increasing hunts are a political lever to put pressure on other countries to give in to its demands at the IWC."

The number of whales killed in Japan’s Antarctic hunt nearly doubled last year, and included a new species, fin whales, which are classified as endangered by the World Conservation Union. They plan to kill even more whales in the 2007/08 season, including 50 humpback whales and 50 more fin whales.

Earlier this year, Japan’s Institute of Cetacean Research announced the highest inventory of whale meat calculated at the end of April since 1989, of 5969 tons.
In a desperate attempt to stimulate the market for whale meat and increase sales, the Japanese Government has recently established a new company, which will aim to reach new Japanese consumers through school lunch programmes, family restaurants, offices and even hospitals, as well as selling whale products over the internet.

Source: WDCS/ IKAN