Japan MUST be Expelled from The International Whaling Commission.

When it comes down to the smooth running of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and it's orderly administration what country is the most disruptive? Which country gives aid money for votes? Which country takes up far too much time at meetings? Which country consistantly ignores the wishes of the Commission? Which country still kills whales?

Japan!

When it comes down to who wants to kill whales, on a per capita basis, the details are quite astounding. It makes one wonder how a small group of people can disrupt a perfectly good international organisation and simply "buck the system".

The IWC has 60 member countries.

On issues of whaling Japan gathers together a number of small member countries (with small populations) to increase its voting power.
Why? because each member country has one (1) vote regardless of the country's population size. In other words, for example, the USA gets one vote for 289 million people and Tavalu gets one vote for 11 thousand people.

289,000,000 USA
11,000 Tavalu

The difference is amazing!

Japan (a Pro whaling country) and it's followers will regularly, for voting purposes, amass 16 countries (ie 16 votes) with a total population count of 149 million out of a world total of 6,122 million people. Ant-whaling and abstaining member countries totalling 44 have a combined population total of 3,812 million people.

149,000,000 Pro whaling
3812,000 000 Anti whaling & abstaining

These are the percentages:

The pro whaling people (Those who's governments vote to kill whales) = 149 M or 2.5% of the world's population.
Roughly Anti whaling people (Those who's governments vote against whaling or have no opinion) = 3,812 M or 62.25%
The rest of the world who have no vote at all = 35.25% (Among these are some of the poorest countries in the world)

Sometimes, there are abstaining countries who vote with Japan but the numbers never, ever, come close to half the people represented by the IWC.

There you have it! Whales die because roughly 2.5% of the people on earth want to eat them!

That's rude! Expel Japan from the IWC!

After Japan is expelled from the IWC and it sends whalers to the Antarctic to slaughter whales it will be bound by a much stricter Law than the inadequate rules of the IWC. It will be bound by the Antarctic Treaty.

Currently, the Antarctic Authority regards the IWC as a more competent authority in relation to cetaceans and lets the IWC administer it's own member countries while in regions covered by the Treaty. But when Japan is expelled from the IWC it will be bound by the Antarctic Treaty whenever it enters Antarctic waters.

First off, the Preamble to the Antarctic Treaty states: "Recognizing that it is in the interest of all mankind that Antarctica shall continue forever to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes and shall not become the scene or object of international discord."

Japan is creating international discord!

Article IX, 1 states: "Representatives of the Contracting Parties. . . shall. . . for the purpose of. . . formulating and considering, and recommending to their Governments, measures in furtherance of the principles and objectives of the Treaty, including measures regarding: f) preservation and conservation of living resources in Antarctica."

Japan's whaling cannot and does not preserve or conserve!

And that's why Japan MUST be expelled from the IWC. To STOP whales from being slaughtered.

Stay Concerned,
Graham J. Clarke.
Webmail:http://www.e-mailus.net/user/A03100

Japan Must Be Banned From the Antarctic

Japan's JARPA program has finished! JARPA was a 16 year whale killing research project carried out by the Japanese government. It's original objectives were the:

1) estimation of the biological parameters to improve the stock management of the Southern Hemisphere minke whale;
2) elucidation of the role of whales in the Antarctic marine ecosystem.

In response to 'developing requirements' Japan added two further objectives:
3) elucidation of the effect of environmental changes on cetaceans;
4) elucidati on of the stock structure of the Southern Hemisphere minke whales to improve stock management.

Japan now says "The research programme has been truly successful in having produced valuable information on the Antarctic ecosystem which will provide the basis for improving future research and comprehensive management of Antarctic marine resources," said Hiroshi Hatanaka, director general of the Institute of Cetacean Research, in a statement.

Yet, almost every year, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has by majority vote passed a resolution urging Japan not to issue a permit for lethal minke whale research in the Antarctic. Every year Japan ignores the will of the ruling body, to which it is a menber.

How much more impertanence will the IWC accept?

Yes, JARPA has concluded, but Japan will now seek approval for a new research plan at the next IWC meeting in June 2005. This program will in addition to the minke hunt of 440 whales now being taken annually, include Humpback and Fin whales.

Humpbacks are the world's most-watched whale. They winter along mainland Australian coasts and spend their summers in Antarctica. Fins, the second largest whale at up to 26 metres long, are found in deeper waters. Both species were reduced to a fraction of their original numbers in the days of 20th century industrial whaling.

Neither Fin nor Humpback whales have recovered! Not even to the guessed pre whaling numbers suggested by authorities including the IWC.

The Japanese Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) i n Tokyo says it's research has shown a major shift among species.

"We are witnessing a surprisingly rapid growth in the abundance of fin and humpback whales in the Antarctic and a possible slowing in the increased abundance of minke whales," said the institute's director-general, Dr Hiroshi Hatanaka.

What a joke! Did he say Fin and Humpback whales have recovered? No! He merely noted they were recovering. Did he say Minke whales were increasing normally? No! he said they are now not increasing as they should.

A recent DNA study of commercially available whalemeat from Japan has shown that pre whaling estimates of Humpback whales have been grosely underestimated.

This is true. How do I know this? I'll tell you.

Today, when I stand on the North Head of Port Jackson (the entrance to Sydney Harbour) and look out to sea I see no Humpback whales. I can stand there any day of the year and not see one whale. I did see one once but it was a Souther Right whale. So, whales are not a sight we see often.

A few years back I joined a day long Marine Research cruise off Sydney. It's aim was to document all the marine life it encountered. I wanted to see a whale. We did see a sunfish, four common dolphins and a fair amount of birdlife but no whale.

Here is what a Captain saw when he sailed from Sydney Harbour in 1791.

"The first whale-ships to set out from the Australian coast itself did not belong to the host, partly British, mostly American, that eventually followed in the tracks of Enderby's pioneer vessel round the Horn. They were the transport vessels which had brought out convicts, and the first that we hear about arrived in 1791. Ten vessels of this class had reached Port Jackson, and one former whaling captain reported that he had just seen more whales in one day than off the coast of Brazil in six years. No less than five of these ships put to sea after whales. The attraction of the game was overwhelming, and quite a number of such British ships put to sea to take part in it immediately upon discharge of their human cargoes."

And more from Thos. Melville Captain of the Ship Britannia
Sydney, P.J.
Nov.22 1791.

At "the latitude of Port Jackson. Within three leagues of the shore we saw Sperm Whales in great plenty. We sailed through different shoals of them from 12 o'clock in the day till sunset, all round the horizon, as far as I could see from the mast head. In fact I saw very great prospects in making our fishery upon this coast and establishing a fishery here. Our people was in the highest spirits at so great a sight and I was determined as soon as I got in and got clear of my live lumber, to make all possible despatch on the Fishery on this Coast."

ref: Whalemen Adventurers,
http://whales.100freemb.com/published/whalemen/chapter1.html
or
http://www.stormpages.com/published/whalemen/chapter1.html

It is established fact that all Southern Right, Humpback and Minke whales which migrate north and south along the Australian East Coast come from the Antarctic. On this there can be no dispute.

Souther Ocean whales have not recovered and must not be hunted untill whales are again found in the same numbers as described by the whalers of 1791. Japan is insisting it will continue killing whales in the Region.

Japan MUST be banned from entering the Antarctic.

Stay concerned,
Graham Clarke.
Webmail: http://www.e-mailus.net/user/A03100

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