The Japan commercial whaling resumes, for the third consecutive year, following its withdrawal from the International Cetacean Hunting Commission (IWC) in 2019. Four ships set sail early in the morning from the cities of Hachinohe and Ishinomaki , respectively in the prefectures of Aomori and Miyagi, north of the archipelago. Another whaler will join them in June from the northernmost island of Hokkaido, the National Agency that encompasses fishermen’s cooperatives reported.
The ships aim to catch 120 fin whales off the coast of Sanriku, on the northeastern side of the country, over the next two months, before moving to Hokkaido until the end of October. The Tokyo government had to stop whaling for commercial purposes in 1982, in compliance with the moratorium adopted by the IWC, however, since 1987, Japanese boats have continued to suppress small quotas of whales for issues that the government defines as’ related to research. scientific ‘.
According to some experts, behind the motivation of the Japanese authorities lies the desire to support the whale meat industry which, even today – despite the sudden decline in sales, is considered an alternative and cheap source of protein.
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