Japan plans to leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and resume commercial hunting for the mammal, according to reports in the Japanese press.
<img alt = "Commercial whaling has led some species to extinction" src = "https://p2.trrsf.com/image/fget/cf/460/0/images. terra.com/2018/12/ Commercial whaling has led some species to near extinction [1] [1] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
The Japanese government has already informed its legislators of this decision, reported NHK, the largest broadcaster No official confirmation has been given to this measure, which is the subject of criticism from environmental groups.
The commercial whale was banned by the IWC in 1986 after the disappearance of certain species.
For many years, Japan reportedly caught whales for scientific purposes – even if the flesh of animals slaughtered under this prerogative was finally used for commercial purposes – which has been widely criticized by defenders
It is badumed that the Japanese government will maintain that the population level of some whale species has recovered to justify the resumption of the hunt.
The country's authorities state that whale consumption is part of the local culture. Some communities on the coast of Japan have been hunting them for centuries, but consumption increased only in the country after World War II, when animals were the main source of meat.
Demand has fallen in recent decades.
What do we know about measurement?
Although the Japanese media announced that the decision had already been made, no official announcement had been made.
Hideki Moronuki, of the Japan Fisheries Agency, told the BBC that Japan was considering some options but that it "had not yet made a decision".
Citing an unidentified government source, the Kyodo News Agency said that an official announcement should be made this week.
In September, the Japanese government tried to persuade the IWC to allow commercial whaling to set quotas for the capture of the animal, but the proposal was rejected.
How is the ban on commercial whaling enforced?
In 1986, IWC members agreed to a moratorium on hunting to allow the cetacean stock to rebuild.
The countries operating this activity expect the ban to be temporary, until a consensus is reached on the number of whales. whales that can be captured for hunting.
On the contrary, the ban was virtually permanent. Countries such as Japan, Norway and Iceland argue that whaling is part of the local culture and should therefore be maintained in a sustainable manner.
Today, animal stocks are closely watched. Some species remain in danger, but others are no longer considered in this situation, such as minke whales, the main species hunted in Japan.
<img alt = "Japan is currently catching whales supposedly for scientific purposes" src = "https: // Japan is currently catching whales supposedly for scientific purposes" width = "460 [19659003] Japan currently captures whales for scientific purposes.
Photo: AFP / BBC News Brazil
Can Japan leave the IWC?
If Japan wishes to leave the organization, it should send you a notification by the end of the year. Then, he could officially retire on June 30, 2019.
But even in this case, the country would be obliged to comply with certain international laws. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea requires countries to cooperate in the conservation of whales "through the international organizations concerned with conservation, management and study".
Japan could even try to create another international organization if it could get support from a sufficient number of countries or join an already existing group, such as the Marine Mammals Commission of Japan. North Atlantic (Nammco), born of the frustration of some members vis-à-vis the IWC, which includes Norway, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.
Japan today hunts whales?
Yes, the country has captured whales over the last 30 years as part of its scientific program, authorized by the IWC as an exception to the ban.
As the flesh of animals slaughtered for scientific purposes may be sold at a later date, critics argue that this practice constitutes a kind of façade for what is in reality a commercial exploitation of mammal hunting.
Japan catches between 200 and 12,000 whales a year, on the grounds that it was investigating the animal population levels to see whether they were threatened or not.
<img alt = "Today, Japan hunts between 200 and 1.2 000 whales per year" src = "https://p2.trrsf.com/image/fget/cf/460/0 /images.terra.com/2018/ Today Japan hunts between 200 and 1,200 whales a year. "Today, Japan hunts between 200 and 1,200 whales a year." Japan hunts 200 to 1,200 whales a year.
Japan has repeatedly tried to reverse the moratorium on hunting and to conclude a new agreement establishing quotas for one of the most vulnerable countries in the world.
Photo: Getty Images / BBC News Brazil
Sustainable hunt.
The last attempt took place in September at a meeting held in Florianópolis, Brazil.
The country proposed a package of measures, including the creation of a committee for sustainable whaling and the establishment of sustainable quotas. catches for "abundant species / levels"
The proposal was rejected by a vote. Since then, there has been talk of the possible exit of the country from the organization, which would theoretically risk not to submit to its rules.
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