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Japan's latest whale tale, yes, they eat too much 

This is Japan's latest argument for resuming its whale hunt: Whales eat too much. 

As part of its effort to lift the international ban on commercial whaling and justify its annual catch of about 500 whales for "research", Japan now argues that whales consume more than their fair share of fish - fish that should be eaten by humans. 

"Whales are increasing as fish stocks decline!" trumpets the headline of a half-page advertisement taken out in domestic and international newspapers by a government pro-whaling institute. "Whales are threatening our fisheries." 

Japan has been trying to lift the international ban on whaling imposed in 1986 and rescue what used to be a thriving industry. This week, delegates headed to the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission to press their case again, and to block moves by anti-whaling countries to toughen the ban.

However, the Japanese delegation stumbled over its public relations en route to the meeting in London. Masayuki Komatsu, one of Japan's whaling negotiators, said in an interview with the ABC last week that there were too many minke whales, calling them "the cockroach of the ocean". He also seemed to confirm long-standing suspicions that Japan was giving foreign aid to developing countries to "buy" support at the 43-nation whaling commission meetings. 

Anti-whaling countries, including Australia, are expected to prevail this week as Japan tries to weaken or end the moratorium, which covers 13 species of large whales. Japan is arguing, on what it calls scientific grounds, that whales are becoming an alarming competitor to humans for food from the sea. 

"The scientists at our institute calculated that the present world fisheries catch is about 90 to 10million tons per year," said Mitsuyoshi Murakami, executive director of Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research, which is supported by the $7 million ($A13.7 million) in proceeds from the sale of meat from whales killed by Japan for research. 

"We estimated the total volume of fish which are eaten by whales is approximately three to four times the world fisheries catch," Murakami said. "Humans are in the position of the highest rank of the ecosystem. If we leave some world species untouchable, they will increase" and compete with humans for food, he said. 

The argument resonates in Japan, with its aggressive fishing industry and unbounded national appetite for all shapes, sizes and varieties of seafood. 

But critics deride Japan's argument. "That's like blaming woodpeckers for deforestation," said Richard Page of the Greenpeace Whaling Project. 

"Whales and fish survived in balance in the oceans for millions of years in huge numbers. What depleted whales was the large commercial whaling that Japan wants to start up again, and what has depleted the fisheries is overfishing." 

Last year, Japan killed 440 minke whales, 43 Bryde's whales and five sperm whales, the last two of which are on the US endangered species list. 

source:  WASHINGTON POST, July 28, 2001, DOUG STRUCK