Information on Loughborough

Loughborough MP adopts whale

Posted on 13/12/2007
P. Klein

whale fins

Loughborough’s MP Andy Reed has adopted a humpback whale to show his opposition to Japanese whaling.

In 1987 Japan stopped commercial whaling activities in the waters of the Antartic. However at the same time began a contentious scientific whaling program, JARPA.

The Japanese government largely justifies this type of whaling by claiming that analysis of stomach contents gives insight into the dietary behavior of whales, examination of whale ear plugs is the only correct way to discover the age of a whale, the extent of interbreeding in the populace can only be determined from tissue samples and inspection of whale ovaries is necessary in order to find out the age of sexual maturity. However, this approach has been criticized by lots of scientists on the International Whaling Commissions Scientific Committee.

Japans scientific whaling program has stayed contentious, with anti-whaling groups claiming that the murdering of whales is pointless for scientific purposes and that the real basis for the scientific kills is to supply whale meat for Japanese restaurants and supermarkets. Countries against whaling have raised comparable concerns and passed non-binding resolutions in the International Whaling Commission urging Japan to cease this program. The Japanese government points out that hunting for research purposes is expressly sanctioned by IWC regulations and that those same regulations also require that whale meat be fully utilized upon the conclusion of research.

Loughborough MP Andy Reed accepted an invitation from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), to adopt humpback whale Bluebell to display his support for IFAW’s efforts to defend this vulnerable species, now under attack by Japan’s whaling fleet in an internationally recognised whale sanctuary.

The threatened humpback has been protected from whaling for more than four decades after being driven to near extinction by commercial whaling during the last century. Despite this, Japan has now added 50 humpbacks to its target list as it sails towards the Southern Ocean Sanctuary in Antarctica to hunt the humpbacks plus almost 1,000 other whales.

Robbie Marsland, Director of IFAW UK, said: “IFAW is very grateful to Mr Reed for showing his support for the whales. Whaling is inherently cruel – there is simply no humane way to kill a whale.

Andy said: “I am very happy to support IFAW’s campaign to protect the whales by adopting Bluebell. Whaling is cruel and unnecessary.”

New findings from international legal experts in recent weeks have challenged Japan’s claim that its expanding whaling programme is legal under international law. Legal analyses by international panels of independent legal experts convened in Paris and London have found Japan’s expanding whaling operations to be in violation of International Whaling Commission (IWC) regulations and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).