Eco Issue 2

Wavering Nations Threaten Ocean Sanctuary

Australia and New Zealand's proposal for the IWC to designate a large expanse of water between Australia and Chile as a whale sanctuary is expected to be debated and voted on by the Commission on Tuesday.

The plan would expand the existing Southern Ocean sanctuary from the Antarctic Ocean into waters north of 40 degrees south latitude and up to the equator.

The sanctuary would aid the protection of severely depleted whale populations and allow for their recovery, as well as the improving the Southern Ocean Sanctuary's protection of migratory whale species. It would also foster research on whale populations that are not being hunted.

Coupled with the IWC-declared sanctuaries in the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean, the South Pacific Sanctuary would promote the conservation and protection of whales. The proposal is certain to enjoy wide support within the Commission. Not surprisingly Japan opposes it, and is furiously working to arrange a blocking vote. A 3/4 vote of the 40 IWC members is necessary for declaring the sanctuary.

ECO has learned that seven key countries are wavering and planning to abstain from the vote. This would send the Sanctuary to certain defeat this year.

ECO urges a "Yes" vote on the Sanctuary.

Seven Wavering Countries
Denmark
Ireland
Oman
Russia
South Africa
Spain
Switzerland

Report from Neah Bay

Members of the Makah tribe have been trying to kill a gray whale for several weeks now off of the Washington coast without success. Their canoe is being towed from whale-blow to whale-blow by a powerboat. Several Makah families want a chance at killing up to five whales per year. The US government has led the tribe and general public to believe that the IWC has approved its "quota."

At home, the US government has been ordered by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to prepare a more honest assessment of the environmental impact of Makah whaling. For now, that appears to have stopped the Makah whaling effort. Internationally, it remains to be seen whether other nations at the IWC will revisit the Makah whaling application and finally apply standards to the conduct of the US.

Many NGOs believe the Makah hunt was never approved by the IWC. The five whales per year quota proposed by the US on behalf of the Makah was based not upon proven nutritional need, but as a representation of five ancestral villages where no one now lives, excepting Neah Bay. In 1996, the US withdrew the Makah proposal because of certain defeat. IWC criteria require that there be a genuine nutritional need for aboriginal hunts. When the US saw that a stand-alone Makah proposal would still fail in 1997, the government delegation made a back room deal with Russia whereby the US would get some of the Russian Chukotka people's gray whale quota in exchange for part of the Alaskan Inuit quota of bowhead whales.

After this deal, the US falsely represented it received IWC approval on behalf of the Makah for 20 gray whales killed, or 33 wounded, whichever comes first between 1997 and 2002.

Dr. Ray Gambell, Secretary to the IWC, stated in an October 5, 1998 letter that "The IWC has specifically not passed a judgment on recognizing or otherwise the claim by the Makah tribe, since the member nations were clearly unable to agree." No vote was ever taken on the Makah aboriginal subsistence proposal and the IWC does not list the Makah among the tribes it recognizes on its web site.

Nevertheless, the Makah tribe killed its first gray whale in 70 years in May of 1999. She was a juvenile, who approached the whaling canoe in curiosity and was harpooned for her trust. It took several long minutes for this terrified two-year-old to die bleeding in the Flattery Rocks National Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Makah agreed to target only "migrating" gray whales. Yet the tribe continues to hunt within one-quarter to one-half mile from shore at time when any remaining gray whale is very likely to be a resident.

Resident gray whales don't make the long journey to the Bering Sea, but stop in nearshore waters of Washington and Vancouver Island, Canada to spend the varying portions of the summer. Residents gray whales feed here, so it is reasonable to assume that this is an important part of their life history and this may be an attempt by the species to occupy or reoccupy critical habitat.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government refuses to question the Makah targeting residents who are quietly feeding.

An April 27, 1995 internal memo discussed the Makah intention to build a commercial slaughterhouse: "The Makah intend to harvest gray whales ... harbor seals ... California sea lions, minke whales, small cetaceans such as harbor porpoise and Dall's porpoise, and potentially, in the future, sea otters. The Makah are planning to operate a processing plant so as to sell to markets outside the U.S. The Makah have started discussions with Japan and Norway about selling their whale products to both countries." After a great deal of pressure from the U.S. government, the Makah, for now, have distanced themselves from this plan. However, the 1995 Makah letter notifying the U.S. government of their intent to go whaling specifically reserved their right to whale commercially.

We have a videotape that shows the Makah abandoning their hunted gray whale on the beach in the early morning hours of May 18, 1999, leaving the blubber and flesh to rot.

Like the U.S. Constitution, state law, federal law, and international treaties, the 1855 Treaty of Neah Bay does not exist in a vacuum. All are subject to free expression, debate, support and opposition. Though few oppose the Makah treaty right to go whaling, many oppose acting on that right. It is as legitimate to oppose, protest and debate Makah whaling as any other issue. What is most troubling at the IWC, is that the U.S. government was allowed to circumvent the criteria for certifying the Makah as aboriginal whalers. The IWC Commissioners weakened this international body another notch when they allowed this to happen. It's time that it be it be brought back to the table.

The Japanese Caribbean Islands?

The Yen masters have again been busy recruiting countries to join the IWC, and tightening the grip on the stable of poor Caribbean nations who continue to do Japan's bidding.

Last minute checks are flying in to the IWC to ensure that the voting rights are cleared up for the eight nations under Japan's control: Dominica, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, Antigua/Barbuda, Grenada, Solomon Islands, and new member Guinea. In every instance cash incentives have been used to recruit countries to the IWC with the expressed intent to overturn the commercial whaling moratorium.

It used to be that Tokyo would vehemently deny allegations that Japan was using aid to buy whaling votes. But now Japan has openly admitted the procedure.

Hiroaki Kameya, the vice-minister for fisheries, stated in November, 1999 that "We would like to utilize overseas development aid as a practical means to promote nations to join, expanding grant aid towards nonmember countries which support Japan's claim." His comments were made after recruiting trips to Guinea, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Trinidad and Tobago. Japan has also targeted Morocco and Mauritania.

Watch Japan pull the strings this week and see the puppets play out their roles. It is a sadly repetitious sideshow.

If Japan succeeds in their goal of recruiting four or more countries per year, they will easily be able to block any initiative opposed to its continued whaling.

Heavy Metal Whales

ECO reported at the last IWC meeting in Grenada that an independent investigation of cetacean products sold for human consumption in Japan had revealed dangerously high levels of contaminants in over half the whale products sampled. In addition, almost one third of the products sold were mislabeled, so even if consumers knew which species to avoid, they could not be certain about what they are buying.

This year, new data show even higher mercury and cadmium levels in cetacean meat and even the presence of dioxin group compounds. For example, the highest total mercury level identified exceeds the Japanese permitted level by 1,600 times. At the highest concentration of dioxin group chemicals detected, a large meal could cause a consumer to exceed Japan's tolerable daily intake (TDI) by 172 times. Even a single gram of blubber from the most highly contaminated dolphin sampled in this small study would exceed this dose by more than three times!

So what is the government of Japan doing about this potential health crisis?

The initial findings of the investigations funded by WDCS and the Swiss Coalition for the Protection of Whales in 1999 so alarmed the scientists involved—including two Japanese toxicologists—that they notified Japan's Minister of Health and Welfare of their findings and the implications for human health. They never even received an acknowledgment of their letter. Almost a year later, despite wide coverage of this issue in the Japanese press and the awareness raising efforts of a Japanese consumer protection group, the government of Japan still appears to be sweeping the issue under the carpet. Officials' responses to the public's questions about the safety of eating cetacean meat range from claims that the average per capita consumption of whale meat is so low that no "immediate impact" will emerge, to a suggestion originating from the Institute of Cetacean Research that "boiling water poured on the meat will eliminate toxic substances!"

The failure of the government of Japan to respond to this potentially disastrous situation is shocking. The facts are clear: according to official health standards, more than half the cetacean products sold for human consumption in Japan are contaminated to an unacceptable degree. Although the highest contaminant burdens are found in the products of the tens of thousands of dolphins and porpoises killed in Japanese coastal waters each year, minke whale products also give cause for concern. The Japanese toxicologists concluded that "fatty products from North Pacific mammals could cause adverse health effects." Even 80% of the Antarctic minke blubber sampled exceeded the Toxic Equivalency Value (TEQ—a single figure that can be used to evaluate the toxicity of the sample and allows it to be compared with standards) for dioxin group chemicals.

How, in the face of evidence from the Faroes that contaminated cetacean products cause serious developmental problems in the children of consumers, can Japan increase its whaling operations and continue to urge consumption of whale meat as a safe and healthy option?

Japanese Delegation Can't Stomach Watching Futo Dolphin Massacre Video

The Japanese delegation stormed out of the IWC's Working Group on Whale Killing Methods and Associated Welfare Issues on Friday after the UK rejected Japan's demand to withdraw a damning report and gruesome video of a dolphin massacre in a Japanese port last year.

At least 69 bottlenose dolphins were brutally killed in a roundup that climaxed in a blood-stained frenzy of flesh-ripping gaffs and throat-slashing knives wielded by dozens of Japanese fishermen.

The footage, shot by a local film crew in Futo Port, Shizuoka Prefecture on October 13-14, is being released worldwide this week to call attention to the ruthless, inhumane "drive fishery" along Japan's coast that kills thousands of dolphins and small whales each year.

The British report states that after six dolphins were removed alive for transport to two dolphinaria, "attempts were then made to capture the remaining dolphins using ropes and long poles with sharp hooks. Working from the deck of a fishing boat, men lassoed dolphins by their flukes with ropes. This proved extremely difficult and the hooks and ropes were repeatedly embedded in the animals in order to hold them steady while the ropes were attached. The film appears to show several attempts to asphyxiate groups of roped dolphins. These animals struggled violently in their effort to reach the surface to breathe and hurled themselves against the hulls of the boats."

"At the market the animals were killed. Various types of knives were used to cut the animals throats … There is no evidence of any attempt to induce rapid loss of consciousness and death."

"The film goes on to show several dolphins, with their throats severed, struggling and thrashing violently as the men working in the market looked on."

Commenting on the cruelty of the Futo massacre, the UK concluded that "Removal from the water subjected the dolphins to prolonged stress and pain. Their rapid breathing and chaotic swimming suggest animals in great distress … Overall, the film shows an apparent lack of regulation, training in appropriate methods and techniques and care or consideration for the welfare of these animals. It is clear that the dolphins suffered extreme distress and pain and this cannot be considered to be acceptable or humane by any accepted international or national standards."

The Japanese government and fishing industry are now suffering pain and distress from this latest shocking revelation. It is time for Japan to end this barbaric hunt.

The Environmental Investigation Agency's new report Towards Extinction; The Exploitation of Small Cetaceans in Japan, documents that more than 2000 small cetaceans (bottlenose, striped, spotted, Risso's dolphins, false killer whales and short finned pilot whales) are hunted annually in drives in Southern Japan. There is no evidence that any of these hunts are sustainable. On the contrary, the striped dolphin in Japan is endangered, bottlenose dolphins are threatened and the other species are either vulnerable or status unknown. This is the frequently stated government of Japan policy of "sustainable utilization of marine resources."

Number Blunder

For years now, Japan has been quoting a figure of 760,000 minke whales in the Southern Ocean, obtained by adding up separate figures for particular areas from surveys between 1982/3 and 1989/90. At the time there was quite a discussion as to whether it was appropriate to add these figures together to come up with a grand total. Now, the final nail in the coffin is the statement in this year's Scientific Committee report that after some thought it is "… unable to provide reliable estimates of current minke whale abundance" for the Southern Ocean. How sad for Japan that after all these years, the Scientific Committee report notes that preliminary analyses have led to a point estimate that is "…  appreciably lower."

Whether minke whales are indeed declining in the Southern Ocean, or whether the 760,000 number was simply wrong, remains to be resolved. What is clear is that Japan's propaganda machine will have to pulp millions of leaflets all claiming that the Southern Ocean is infested with vast numbers of minke whales, the "rabbits of the sea." Now that the ludicrous suggestion by Japan that minke whales are increasing has finally bitten the dust, will it stop killing whales in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary?