Japan Kills First Fin Whale in Commercial Whaling Program

Japan’s state-owned whaling company, Kyodo Senpaku, has killed a fin whale off Iwate Prefecture.

The 19.6 meter, 55-tonne male was caught using Kyodo Senpaku’s new whaling ship, the 9,300-ton Kangei Maru, which entered operation in March.

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture has added 59 fin whales to its existing quotas for minke whales, Bryde’s whales and sei whales.

Fin whales are the second largest of all whales and are considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The giant mammals can live up to 90 years.

OceanCare and Humane Society International (HSI), among others, have condemned this expansion of whaling by Japan.

Nicola Beynon, head of campaigns at HSI Australia, said: “Killing whales causes significant suffering due to the size of the animals, not to mention the fact that considerable time often passes between the first harpoon strike and death.”

Adam Peyman, HSI’s director of wildlife programs, said: “All whale species are battling a range of threats in their marine environment including climate change, noise pollution, ship strikes and fisheries bycatch. There is no nutritional, scientific or moral justification for killing these magnificent ocean giants, so the launch of the Kangei Maru is a chilling sight at a time when the imperative to conserve rather than kill whales is so urgent.”

Australia has also announced that it is deeply disappointed by Japan’s decision. Australia is opposed to all commercial whaling and urges all countries to end this practice.

The slaughter of the whale occurred less than 10 days after the arrest of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson by Denmark in Greenland.

Former Australian Greens Senator for Tasmania Bob Brown has appealed to Australian-born Queen Mary of Denmark over his arrest in Greenland.