(JP) Whaling ships open to public in Nagasaki

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http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20020421a9.htm

 

Whaling ships open to public in Nagasaki

 

NAGASAKI (Kyodo) Two Japanese ships that returned

recently from a research whaling mission in the

Antarctic Ocean were opened to the public Saturday at

the port of Nagasaki.

 

The 7,575-ton Nisshin Maru, the lead ship of the

fleet, and the 720-ton Yushin Maru, an observation

vessel, will also be open Sunday.

 

The open-days are part of the Nagasaki whale festival,

organized by the Institute of Cetacean Research, a

Tokyo-based organization that leads Japan's research

whaling operations.

 

Devices to locate whales and panels of photographs

showing research whaling are on display aboard the

Nisshin Maru. Visitors can also look at a block of ice

from the Antarctic Ocean.

 

People queued at a booth selling whale meat and

providing free whale meat dishes.

 

" I used to eat whale meat a lot but I hardly have the

chance to eat it now. I want the international

community to recognize Japanese food culture, " said

Makoto Kondo, 73. who came to the event to try some

whale meat.

 

The annual meeting of the International Whaling

Commission and related events will start Friday in

Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

 

" The display prior to the Shimonoseki meeting is

meaningful to learn the deep correlation between Japan

and whales, " said Nagasaki Gov. Genjiro Kaneko in his

opening address.

 

Five whaling ships returned to Japan on April 4 from

the Antarctic Ocean after catching 440 minke whales.

 

Japan gave up commercial whaling in 1986, in

compliance with an international moratorium, and

turned to so-called research whaling the following

year.

 

Japan cites the need to assess the effects of the

consumption of fish by whales on marine resources as

one of the reasons for conducting research whaling.

 

Conservationists say Japan's research whaling is a

cover for commercial whaling, pointing out that the

whale meat is later sold for consumption in Japan.

 

The Japan Times: April 21, 2002

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