Japan will not hunt humpback whales this year

Japan officials say that pressure from environmentalists and the governments of Australia and New Zealand means that humpback whales are safe for another year.

Julian Ryall, The Telegraph 14 Nov 08;

The whaling fleet is scheduled to put to sea in a matter of days and has set a target of 850 minke whales and 50 fin whales, according to Shigeki Takaya, a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture's Far Seas Fisheries Division.

Last year, Tokyo announced that it would also take 50 humpbacks for the first time since the sixties, provoking outrage from anti-whaling nations. That plan was dropped and plans to hunt the species this year have again been cancelled.

"We received a lot of pressure from around the world, but particularly Australia and New Zealand, so we will not be catching humpbacks as part of the research programme," said Mr. Takaya.

Japan exploits a loophole in the rules of the International Whaling Commission that permits "lethal research." Critics say Tokyo's programme is little more than disguised commercial whaling as the meat ends up in supermarkets and restaurants in Japan.

Mr. Takuya would not reveal the exact date when the whaling fleet will put to sea out of concerns for the safety of their crews.

The radical environmental group Sea Shepherd disrupted last year's hunt and has been widely criticised for threatening the safety of the whalers. On one occasion, environmentalists hurled packages of rancid butter onto the deck of the Nisshin Maru; the Japanese retaliated with flash grenades.

This year, Sea Shepherd has unveiled a new weapon the war against the whalers, with Hollywood mermaid Daryl Hannah - star of the 1984 film "Splash" - scheduled to be aboard the group's flagship, the MV Steve Irwin.