Japan ripped over endangered whales
TOKYO — Japan’s whaling operations have suffered a big setback after the “scientific” hunt for sei whales in the Northern Pacific was effectively declared illegal by an international body that regulates trade in endangered species.
The Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) found Tuesday that Japan had broken the rules by selling thousands of tons of meat from endangered sei whales commercially.
Sei whales are the ninthlargest living animal on the planet, usually growing to between 14 to 18 metres (45 and 60 feet) in length and weighing 20 tons. They also are among the fastest whales, possessing the ability to swim up to 55 kmh (35 mph). They are found in almost every ocean and sea in the world but were hunted almost to extinction in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Japan has killed more than 1,500 sei whales in 16 years, supposedly in the name of scientific research. It then sells the meat openly in the country, saying it uses the proceeds to fund further research, even though the International Whaling Commission agreed to a global moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982.
But the CITES Standing Committee overwhelmingly ruled that Japan had broken its rules by taking the whale meat from international waters, effectively constituting illegal trade across international boundaries.
“This was an important decision because it was not about the usual whaling politics but about the rule of law,” said Erica Jayne Lyman, a professor in the International Environmental Law Project at Lewis and Clark Law School in Portland, Or.
Japan has until Feb. 1, 2019, to remedy its noncompliance and report back to CITES.
“This means Japan must close its domestic market for sei whale meat, which is currently widely available in grocery stores, restaurants and the Internet,” Lyman said.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists sei whales as endangered, with the adult population having declined by about 80% over the past three generations; CITES lists them on Appendix One, meaning international trade is prohibited.
— The Washington Post