UK urges Japan to abandon 'scientific' whaling

As Japan's whaling fleet sets sail to make one of its largest catches in years, UK Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw has condemned Japan's decision to go ahead with its whaling programme in the Southern Ocean.

Mr Bradshaw said: "Japan is flying in the face of world opinion. This slaughter has little or no basis in science and I would urge Japan not to proceed."

The lethal catch programme, known as JARPA II, will start within days and the Japanese ships are already enroute for the ocean off Antarctica.

Under the programme, Japan plans to increase its minke whale kill from 440 to 935 annually.

It will also kill 10 fin whales this year and 10 next. From 2007-08, Japan plans to increase the kill of fin whales to 50 and then include 50 humpback whales annually.

Amid serious difficulties in establishing accurate population numbers of many whale species, fin and humpback whales remain on the World Conservation Union's (IUCN) List of Threatened Species.

The majority of members of the International Whaling Commission's (IWC) Scientific Committee expressed serious concern about all aspects of the JARPA II proposal four months ago.

While IWC members adopted a resolution calling on Japan to withdraw its proposal for an increase in scientific whaling, the organisation has no power to prevent "scientific" programmes.

The UK Government says that it remains opposed to all forms of commercial whaling and will continue to fight for the protection and welfare of all whale species. Past hunting by the world's whaling nations has pushed these species to the brink of extinction.

Environmental and conservation groups have condemned the JARPA programme as commercial whaling by stealth, claiming that many of the objectives of the scientific programme could be achieved by using non-lethal methods.

(SP/GB)