"Sufficient stocks"

Hunting fin whales allowed in Japan

Fin whales may now also be officially hunted in Japan. "Our reasoning is essentially that there are sufficient stocks of fin whales," said an official from the Fisheries Agency on Thursday.

Alongside Norway and Iceland, Japan is one of only three countries in the world that allow commercial whale hunting. The catch list previously included minke, Bryde's and sei whales. Now, after months of discussion, fin whales have been added, although the world's second largest marine mammals are considered endangered. This year alone, up to 59 fin whales are to be killed.

"Preserving tradition"
Whales have been hunted in Japan for centuries, and the government speaks of a tradition to be preserved. Officially, the whales are only killed for research purposes. However, the government makes no secret of the fact that some of the meat is then used for human consumption.

The global moratorium imposed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), which has banned commercial whaling since 1986, is no obstacle for the country. Japan's government withdrew without further ado in 2019. Last year, 294 whales were killed.

The whaling ship "Kangei Maru"(Bild: AFP/Yuichi Yamazaki)

Environmental activist Watson arrested
The country's leadership has now also requested the extradition of the arrested environmental activist Paul Watson. He is known for confronting whalers on the high seas with risky disruptive maneuvers.

The 73-year-old founder of the environmental organization Sea Shepherd was arrested in Greenland a week and a half ago. The US-Canadian had then wanted to intercept the new Japanese whaling ship "Kangei Maru" in the North Pacific. The marine mammals are cut up on the ship, which can hold 15 tons of whale meat in its 40 refrigerated containers.