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Hunting of whales by Japan strongly condemned

Japan has resumed the hunting of the fin whales, killing the first in over 50 years. The whale, a 19.6-meter male weighing 55 tons, was captured by the state-owned Kyodo Senpaku using the newly commissioned 'Kaangei Maru', less than two weeks after the arrest of anti-whaling activist Paul Watson in Greenland. Japan has confirmed plans to kill up to 59 fin whales as part of its expanded commercial whaling target, which also includes minke, Bryde’s and sei whales.The decision came after Japan quit the International Whaling Commission (IWC), in 2019. The IWC previously operated under a scientific research loophole.Norway and Iceland have violated the IWC’s 1986 commercial whaling prohibition by taking advantage of regulatory loopholes.The Australian government, led by Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, has expressed deep disappointment over Japan’s decision. Plibersek criticized the inclusion of fin whales in Japan’s commercial hunt, reiterating Australia’s opposition to any form of commercial whaling.The Australian Marine Conservation Society’s CEO, Darren Kindleysides, condemned the hunt describing it cruel, inhumane and unnecessary and urged for a strong stance at the upcoming IWC meeting in Peru.The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists fin whales, the world’s second-largest whales, as endangered. International conservation groups have strongly criticized Japan’s expansion of whaling activities. Nicola Beynon of Humane Society International (HSI) criticized the killing as causing severe suffering and pointed out the lack of justification for such actions. HSI’s Adam Peyman emphasized the critical need for whale conservation amid rising threats from climate change, pollution and ship strikes. Watson, the founder of the Captain Paul Watson Foundation,meanwhile remained in custody in Greenland, awaiting Denmark’s decision on Japan’s extradition request. His detention has been widely condemned as a political move to obstruct anti- whaling efforts.P rominent figures have expressed support for Watson’s release, including French President Emmanuel Macron, filmmaker James Cameron, and conservationists Dr. Jane Goodall and Dr. Sylvia Earle.