Japan minister blames whales for starving millions

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Japan minister blames whales for starving millions

Thu Jul 4,11:38 AM ET

 

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's farm minister, defending his

country's controversial scientific whaling programme,

has suggested the giant ocean mammals are taking food

from the mouths of millions of starving people

worldwide.

 

" I wonder whether you know that whales consume more

than three to five times the maritime resources (that

humans do), or in terms of fish, 300 million to 450

million tonnes of fish, " Agriculture Minister Tsutomu

Takebe told a news conference on Thursday.

 

" I also have to point out that on the earth there are

800 million human beings who are undernourished. "

 

Takebe later qualified his remark, saying he was

merely pointing out the necessity of exploiting

natural resources on a sustainable basis and not

arguing that whales were actually to blame for global

hunger.

 

It was not the first time he has drawn fire -- or

stirred bewilderment -- by citing a threat to world

fisheries resources to argue in favour of whaling.

 

At the International Whaling Commission ( news - web

sites)'s annual meeting in May, he drew parallels with

damage to life and limb caused by an rise in the

number of African elephants trampling on people.

 

" People say the hunting of elephants is for ivory, but

that is not true, " domestic media quoted him as

saying. " For those concerned, it's a matter of life

and death. "

 

Japan abandoned commercial whaling in 1986 in line

with a global moratorium, but began what it calls

scientific research whaling the following year.

 

It lobbied for a resumption of commercial whaling at

the latest IWC gathering, but its quest was thwarted

at a meeting distinguished by days of bitter battles.

 

 

 

 

 

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