Japan Restarts Whale Hunt

The Age

Tuesday November 18, 2008

Andrew Darby

JAPAN'S last factory whaling ship, Nisshin Maru, yesterday slipped out of the southern Japanese port of Innoshima for an Antarctic hunt, despite opposition from the Rudd Government.

A spokesman for Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research, Glenn Inwood, confirmed the ship was central to plans to hunt up to 935 minke and 50 fin whales from polar waters south-east of Australia.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett had hoped to reduce the minke quota. The departure is a blow to talks at the International Whaling Commission and puts pressure on the Government to take legal action and send the Customs ship Oceanic Viking to monitor the whaling.

Shadow environment minister Greg Hunt said the Government needed to commit to sending Oceanic Viking.

"It needs to expose the sham of so-called scientific whaling, and there also needs to be a buffer to protect against any conflict with non-government organisations."

Mr Garrett said the Government had not decided about whether to increase surveillance and it was considering international legal action. -- ANDREW DARBY

© 2008 The Age

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