STORY: The first whaling mothership produced in Japan in 70 years arrived in Tokyo on Thursday ahead of its first whaling expedition off the country’s northeast coast.
The Kangei Maru will process and store whales caught by a fleet of small vessels.
This will include the fin whale, as Japan recently announced it would be added to the list of species permitted for commercial whaling.
This is Hideki Tokoro, president of the Kyodo Senpaku whaling company.
“The government and the Cetacean Research Institute have provided us with a quota that allows us to catch fin whales for 100 years. We can catch the allowed number of whales without any worries. And in fact, there are a large number whales. fin whales, according to the observations of our crew.
Japan, which says eating whale meat is part of its culture, has long unsuccessfully campaigned for the International Whaling Commission to allow commercial whaling.
The island nation withdrew from the international body in 2019 and resumed commercial whaling in its territorial waters and exclusive economic zone.
The Humane Society said: “There is no nutritional, scientific or moral justification for killing these magnificent ocean giants. »
The Kangei Maru is capable of reaching the Antarctic Ocean and its operator has said it will travel to the region at the request of the Japanese government – although there are no plans to do so yet.
yahoo
