Japanese Whaling Ships Set Sail
Japan’s Antarctic whaling fleet has set sail to continue whaling in the waters of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary despite international objection.
Although commercial whaling has been outlawed since 1986 by the International Whaling Commission, the Japanese hunters look set to kill minke and endangered fin whales for so-called ‘scientific research’ – a loophole in the regulations that they continue to exploit.
More than eleven thousand whales have been slaughtered by Japanese whalers since commercial whaling was banned in 1986. The meat from these whales, including species that are endangered, often end up being frozen due to lack of demand or served as sushi, burgers, and to Japanese school children. Profit, not science, is the real motive for these hunts.
