Japan is hunting whales again for the first time in years
Japan's whalers resume hunting fin whales for the first time in years. The whaling company Kyodo Senpaku has caught its first fin whale, confirmed a spokesperson for the relevant fisheries agency to the German Press Agency in Tokyo. The agency recently approved a quota of 59 fin whales in Japanese waters for this year. International animal and environmental protection organizations sharply condemn Japan's whaling.
Fin whales are listed as "vulnerable" on the Red List, meaning there is a high risk that they will go extinct in the wild in the near future. There are currently around 100,000 individuals. Iceland also hunts these animals, with a total of 128 fin whales allowed to be caught this season.
"Commercial whaling is cruel, unnecessary, and completely outdated. Japan must immediately stop this senseless practice and instead work together with the international community on urgently needed solutions to protect the oceans," said Andreas Dinkelmeyer, campaign leader of the animal and environmental protection organization IFAW in Germany.
The spokesperson for the Japanese fisheries agency, however, stated that Japan is acting based on scientific results. According to their own investigations, there are many fin whales in the North Pacific.
Other countries, like Iceland, also have a fin whaling quota, contributing to the overall threat to the species. international consensus to ban whaling and focus on conservation efforts is essential to ensure the survival of fin whales beyond their current population.
