Japan could quit the International Whaling Commission

Japan could quit the International Whaling Commission so it can resume hunting, reigniting extinction fears

  • Japan could quit the International Whaling Commission so it can resume hunting
  • Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 over extinction fears
  • The Japanese government is expected to cite the recovery of certain species as justification for quitting the IWC 

Japan could quit the International Whaling Commission so it can resume hunting, it was feared last night.

Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 after some whale species were driven almost to extinction.

For years Japan has hunted whales for ‘scientific research’, selling the meat under a programme widely criticised by conservationists.

Japan could quit the International Whaling Commission so it can resume hunting, it was feared last night. Commercial whaling was banned by the IWC in 1986 after some whale species were driven almost to extinction

The Japanese government is expected to cite the recovery of certain species as justification for quitting the IWC, although it is thought to be considering hunting only in its own waters.

Wildlife protection groups have already criticised the planned withdrawal.

Hideki Moronuki, of the country’s fisheries agency said Japan has ‘not yet come up with a decision’. A formal announcement could come next week.

In September Tokyo tried to get the IWC to allow commercial catch quotas but the proposal was rejected. Japanese officials claim the IWC has become a ‘biased’ anti-whaling body.

Coastal communities have hunted whales for centuries, but consumption has plummeted and critics doubt a whaling industry is sustainable, especially as many young Japanese no longer eat the meat.

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk