The Fisheries Agency informed that the Japanese fleet had caught only 551 minke whales, compared with the planned catch of 850 this season. According to the Fisheries Ministry no fin whales were caught at all this season although the official had set a target of 50. The ministry official said that the sabotage by activists is a major factor behind our failure to achieve our target.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, anti-whaling campaigners, had repeatedly confronted Japan’s whaling fleet earlier this year. But the ministry said that sabotage is not the only reason for short fall of target. The official told that there was a situation where few fin whales were spotted. Junichi Sato of Greenpeace Japan said that due to small number of whales there was low catch this season. He added that, despite the reduction, the number of whales actually killed was more than three years ago.
There were diplomatic clashes between Japan and Australia as the Australian government has promised to try to stop Japan’s whaling programme and is considering international legal action, although the two countries have agreed not to let the issue hurt ties. But for Japan whaling is a cultural tradition although it had abandoned commercial whaling after agreeing to an international whaling moratorium in 1986. Japan continue hunting of whales in the name of a scientific research whaling programme.
