The Protection Activities
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As members of a nation of
such economic power, Japanese people have to become more sensible about
the exploitations of natural resources and the consequences brought about
by such actions on the rest of the world. Unfortunately the current situation
in Japan is only campaigns sponsored by the whaling industry, flooding the
public with inaccurate and biased information. IKAN strives to provide accurate
information and different points of view in the utilization of natural resources,
thus creating a situation where it possible for the Japanese people to consider
their options and judge accordingly. |
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| Approximately 20,000 small
type cetaceans are hunted in Japan every year, according to the Catch and
Seizure Regulations of the Fisheries Agency. There are mainly three hunting
methods: hand-held harpooning, the drive hunt which includes driving of a
pod of dolphins into a bay with several fishing boatsans hand slaughtering
them, and the small type coastal whaling with a boat mounted with a harpoon
gun. Dolphin species are not suitable for commercial use due to their low fecundity; their gestation period is 10-17 months bearing only one calf at most once per year. When the International Whaling Commission (IWC) implemented an international whaling moratorium, the price of dolphin meat soared, as it became a substitute for whale meat. In addition, dolphin species have remained outside the IWC's jurisdiction, inviting more fishermen who are seeking for a new economic source. The dolphin catch continues to increase. Although dolphin hunt regulations were established in 1993, strict enforcements and reviews of such regulations are not carried out efficiently, if at all. Consequently, the target species still need close attention and some form of protection. IKAN strives to see an investigation and re-examination of catch quotas as soon as possible. |
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Most dolphins in aquariums
are captured by the drive-fishery, usually when they were still calves. The
family members of the captured calves are killed for their meat. Those that
are captured are faced to live the rest of their lives in small confinement.
However, since new dolphins can be supplied easily by the drive-fishery,
they are treated as almost, disposable. As identifying each dolphin and telling
them apart is a hard task for an untrained eye, it is not clear how many
dolphins in captivity die and get replaced every year. Information on
such dolphin circulation is not open to the public. The recent target for the source of wild orcas is in Russian waters. Orcas are a threatened species, and fortunately no capture in Russia has been successful as yet. However, if the capture does start, Russia may establish itself as the supplier of wild orcas. In such a case, this would threaten the health of orca populations in Russian waters. We are appealing to the Port of Nagoya Aquarium, the only aquarium that is planning to engage in this trade in Japan, not to purchase the orcas and, in addition, offering them some alternatives |
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When the Environment Agency
(the current Ministry of Environment) was established in 1971, they reached
an agreement with the Fisheries Agency that all the marine mammals were to
remain under jurisdiction of the Fisheries Agency as before. Unfortunately
due to this agreement, marine mammals, such as dolphins and whales, have
been treated as marine resources. 72% of the marine mammals of the Japanese
coast are now listed under the Red List, and an immediate investigation and
protection, and a proper management is long overdue. For the 2002 draft of the National Strategy on Biological Diversity, IKAN was successful in adding the paragraph for the protection and management of the marine mammals. In addition, the Revised Law for the Wildlife Conservation and Hunting Management was established soon after, and all bird species and mammals were made applicable to the law. Regrettably the Exceptional Regulation was also made, and all cetaceans were put into this category being excluded from this protection law. However, if the need for conservation becomes more apparent by future research, it is still very possible that cetaceans be added to the list of the revised law. IKAN is also a member of a network working to establish a new wildlife conservation law, and continues to work for wildlife protection and biodiversity of marine mammals. IKAN views whales and dolphins not as an instant economic source, but an integral part of both marine and world biodiversity. |
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The archive of the protest documents IKAN
submitted to concerned parties. |
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