"The Australian government will continue to fight with many nations around the world to ensure that scientific whaling ceases," Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull said late Wednesday.

Turnbull hailed Japan's decision, announced Wednesday, to curtail this year's season, saying the move would save many minke whales.

Japan had planned to hunt up to 850 Antarctic minke whales and 10 fin whales, but abandoned the expedition after killing 505 minkes and three fins following a fire on its factory vessel, the Nisshin Maru.

Japan has continued hunting whales for what it calls scientific research despite an international moratorium on commercial whaling imposed in 1986. But it makes no secret that the meat eventually winds up on Japanese dinner plates.

Turnbull insisted hunting was not necessary to manage whales in the Southern Ocean.

"Management information can be collected using non-lethal research techniques," he said.

Japan has said it will pursue its annual whaling expeditions after the fire, which killed one crew member and left the vessel unable to sail under its own power for 10 days.

The environmental watchdog Greenpeace meanwhile called on Japan to stop whaling permanently as one of its ships escorted the Japanese whaling fleet out of Antarctic waters.

"This must be the last time your government sends you to the Southern Ocean to hunt whales and threaten the Antarctic environment," Greenpeace said in a radio message to the Nissshin Maru.

"For the sake of the environment, the whales and your crew - never again!" Greenpeace Australia Pacific Oceans Team Leader Nilesh Goundar condemned the hunting of whales within an internationally-agreed sanctuary.

"The Japanese government and the international community must now make a pledge that this whaling season will be the last," Goundar said.

earlier related report
Japan vows to keep whaling as fleet heads home early
Tokyo (AFP) March 01, 2007 Japan pledged Thursday to keep whaling as its troubled fleet headed home early from Antarctic waters, while opponents exulted at the pullout and vowed to ramp up pressure against the hunt.

The fleet, which had been hounded by environmentalists, is sailing home to Japan a month earlier than planned after its mother ship was badly damaged by fire.

The six-vessel expedition had killed little more than half of its intended catch of 860 whales.

But Hideki Moronuki, the whaling chief at Japan's Fisheries Agency, said the impact of the fleet's withdrawal on future plans was "almost none."

"The fleet will come back in late March and be ready for an expedition in the Northwest Pacific Ocean to start in May," Moronuki told AFP. "It should also be able to set out for the Antarctic from autumn next year."

Australia and New Zealand consider the Antarctic Ocean as a whale sanctuary and have unsuccessfully tried to stop the hunt by Japan, which says whale meat is part of its culture.

Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull praised the departure of the Japanese fleet, saying it would save many whales.

"The Australian government will continue to fight with many nations around the world to ensure that scientific whaling ceases," Turnbull said.

Japan uses a loophole in an international moratorium that allows whaling for scientific research, with the meat going on sale.

In the next Antarctic expedition, starting later this year, Japan plans to expand its hunt to rarer humpback whales.

The Japanese fleet was tailed by anti-whaling activists including from the hardline Sea Shepherd group, who on one occasion hurled flares and bottles containing chemicals at the fleet.

Sea Shepherd has hailed the fleet's departure, calling it "joyous news for all people who love whales."

Moronuki denounced the militant campaigners, although he said the fire was unlikely to have been caused by them.

"What they do are pirate-like, terrorist acts," he said. "We cannot possibly do the same to deal with them."

"We need to think about measures to minimize the damage to research whaling."

Environmental group Greenpeace, which has condemned the actions of more militant campaigners, said that the return of the ship showed that it was not out to conduct research.

"The fire destroyed the meat processing facility on the ship, and the ship is now returning from the expedition. This fact in itself shows the expedition is really for hunting meat," said Greenpeace Japan's campaign manager Junichi Sato.

"The ship could continue if collecting data were the real purpose."

Kyodo Senpaku, a firm that operates the ship with the support of the Japanese government, confirmed the fire damaged a facility "for processing the by-product," as it refers to whales.

Japan is expected to push for a resumption of full-fledged commercial hunting at the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Alaska in May.

Norway and Iceland are the only nations to conduct outright commercial whaling in defiance of the 1986 global moratorium.

Greenpeace points to a glut of uneaten whale meat on the Japanese market as proof that the hunt is unnecessary.

"We want Japanese people to think on this issue," Sato said. "We want the Japanese to ask if we really need the whaling."

Email This Article

Related Links
Follow the Whaling Debate