Guest guest Posted August 30, 2001 Report Share Posted August 30, 2001 http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20010830b6.htm THEY'RE ALSO VERY TASTY Sea balance argument used by scientist to justify whale killing By SHINYA AJIMA KITAKYUSHU (Kyodo) Arguing that whales consume several times more fish than humans and that their growing population runs the risk of tilting the delicate balance of the marine ecosystem, professor and food scientist Kohmei Wani is leading a grassroots push for the relaxation of worldwide bans on whaling. The president of the Association for the Preservation of Food Custom through Sustainable Whaling in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, argues the International Whaling Commission needs to recognize the benefits of Japan's research whaling and long history of harvesting and eating whales. Wani, 70, who teaches at Toa University, plans to protest what he reckons is the excessive protection of whales, at the annual IWC meeting to be held next spring in the city. He said there is a need for " cross-cultural understanding. " " We have our whaling culture and enough scientific data backing our trial to preserve it and leave it to our descendants, " he said. " Our top task at the IWC meeting in Shimonoseki is not to prepare for criticism but to make every effort to help introduce our own culture, which those opposed to the eating of whales have never had a chance to know. " Japan, which ceased commercial whaling in the 1987-1988 hunting season in accordance with an IWC moratorium adopted in 1982, continues to hunt whales for research purposes. It sells the meat for public consumption, investing the proceeds in further research. A total of 10,452 whales, including 5,393 minke whales, were sighted in the Antarctic during a four-month expedition that ended in March, and government-commissioned ships killed 440 minke whales in total. Wani claimed the whale population is growing and that larger catches would not adversely affect the overall population. According to Wani, the IWC Scientific Committee estimated in 1990 that there were 760,000 minke whales in the Antarctic and that a calculated annual harvest of 2,000 would have no adverse effect on the population. Wani also argued that Japan enjoys a long history and many cultural values related to fishing the seas around the archipelago, and that whaling, long depended on as an important source of protein, is just another one of them. But his arguments have so far been rebuffed by antiwhaling activists and other members of the IWC. He returned from London, where the 53rd annual IWC meeting was held in July, where he campaigned on the streets against whaling bans. He said the meeting was dominated by cultural friction. " I don't think that the IWC functions properly any longer. What is happening now is just a lack of understanding over why some nations continue to whale, " he figured. At the last IWC meeting, Japan was urged to stop killing whales for research. The research programs, conducted under the International Convention for Regulation of Whaling, are meant to analyze the reproduction activities of whales and their consumption of marine resources, such as saury, sardines and squid. Japan has argued that the data produced by the research are necessary to ensure appropriate harvesting and conservation and to persuade IWC members to agree to allow the limited catch. But antiwhaling scientists have rejected the argument, saying research whaling is merely a front for continued commercial whaling. Wani claimed the number of specific types of whales has seen a steady increase, as opposed to antiwhaling groups which support lower estimates. The argument that whales should not be hunted because they are cute or intelligent, is an argument Wani believes is out of the question. Despite the opposition, he said it is unrealistic for Japan to drop out of the IWC and forfeit its right to contribute to fisheries conservation and a well-balanced marine ecosystem that could be threatened by increasing whale populations. According to Wani's civic group, it was during the Edo Period (1603-1867) that whaling became a part of Japan's food tradition. The group applauded Japan's waste-free use of whales' teeth, bones and whiskers for handmade products such as sculptures or musical instruments, as well as their skin, meat, fat and internal organs for food. Shimonoseki, once a major base for commercial whaling in the Antarctic, has been used since 1998 as one of the ports for research whaling boats operating in the Antarctic and Northern Pacific waters. The civic group was set up by locals who want to retain the tradition of whale consumption. Wani, who came to Shimonoseki in 1991, was not directly engaged in the whale industry until he was chosen in April to represent the 300-member group, some of whom own whale-food restaurants in the city. " A certain food culture tends to get rooted in a certain region, as should take place naturally, depending on conditions like history, the environment or local customs, " he reckoned. Born in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Wani studied agriculture in Japan and food science in the United States, specializing in the diverse food cultures that have developed around the world. During his career at Snow Brand Milk Products Co., he headed its health research facility, which was charged with determining what foods could lead to longer life or prevent diseases such as cancer. Wani predicted that the rising world population, which is projected to peak at around 9 billion in 2070, will exhaust protein sources such as livestock and that antiwhaling countries will acknowledge the need to reduce the whale population. The IWC meeting will be held from April 25 to May 24 in Shimonoseki, where representatives from about 35 of the 41 member countries are expected to gather. Ahead of the meeting, however, Wani said he wants to bolster the group's ability to influence the IWC. Wani and group members are planning to build a memorial monument marking their appreciation of whales and the blessings provided by the ocean. " We as Japanese have appreciated and felt accustomed to eating whales, " Wani said. " The monument will be a nice surprise for representatives from antiwhaling countries that used to catch whales only as industrial resources, not as food, to gain substances such as whale oil until substitute resources like crude oil were found. " The Japan Times: Aug. 30, 2001 © All rights reserved Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Messenger http://im. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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