Some of you may recognise the name Nissui.

Nissui used to own a part interest in Kyodo Senpaku, the company that runs the "scientific whaling" programme for Japan, until you pesky Greenpeace online activists successfully put pressure on their other corporate partners -- Gortons Fish and Sealords -- to get out of the whaling business.

14 June 2008, Asahi Shinbun, Morning Edition, Page 12

Maruha-Nichiro Holdings, Nihon Suisan(Nissui), and Kyokuyo, which were the three main companies in the commercial whaling industry, clarified that they would not re-enter to the industry even if the ban is removed. Commercial whaling has been banned since 1986 decided by IWC. There is a big gap between the intension of industries and the aim of the Fishery Agency of Japan, which has been the removal of the ban.

Western environmental groups have been strongly opposing to the commercial whaling. Mr. Kunihiko Koike, a director of Nissui, said "as an international fishery company, having to do with whale does not do good at all".

Sales of whale meat was less than 1% of the company's total sales when the commercial whaling was banned. It seems like there is no demand of the whale meat even if the company re-enter to the industry. Mr. Yasuhisa Sato, an executive director of Nissui, said "although who has eaten the whale meat before might have very fond memories of it, I think other meats are more tasty". Mr. Hisaki Ota, an executive director of Kyokuyo, said "young people does not eat whale meat". Mr. Seigo Kawazoe, and executive director of Maruha-Nichiro, said " whaling vessel needs thousands of millions of investment. It does not balance the budget".

The Ocean section of the Fishery Agency said "each company has own managerial decision. We regard maintaining the whaling technology and technique as the most important thing here, and we are still believing that commercial whaling will pay".

Commercial whaling had its peak in the 60s. Whaling section of the 3 biggest fishery companies were integrated to one (the current Kyodo Sempaku) as the scale of the industry dicline. The 3 companies transfered all share of Kyodo Sempaku to 5 MFAA jurisdicting foundations and pulled themselves out campletely from the industry in 2006. The research whaling is conducted by Kyodo Sempaku.

And given that Japan has a surplus of whale meat that it can't sell and declining demand, Icelandic claims to have found an export market in Japan for their meat are probably bunk -- we've been investigating claims from Iceland that they're sending whale meat to Japan, despite the fact that the Japanese government hasn't actually issued an import license.

And the second bit of good news comes from Tonga, where our friends at IFAW have released a report which says the whalewatching industry there is proving the other side of the "whales aren't worth much dead" equation by demonstrating that they're worth quite a bit alive:

According to a new (International Fund for Animal Welfare report announced today, whale watching plays a major role in attracting tourists to the Kingdom of Tonga. The report shows that whales continue to contribute strongly to the country’s economy, with whale watching tourism generating almost US$2 million annually and increasing at a rate of 20 percent a year.

The research commissioned by IFAW and Opération Cétacés found humpback whales bring significant economic benefits to Tonga, where 15 percent of GDP is earned through tourism and recommends that whales need to be protected and conserved. Since hunting was banned by royal decree in 1978 The Kingdom of Tonga has become an important breeding ground for whales. Since the whales were protected, the whale watch industry has grown strongly with many tourism operators taking visitors to see these iconic species in their natural environment.

You can help put an end to whaling by demanding the Japanese government suspend the whaling permits for the companies involved in so-called "scientific whaling" in the Southern Ocean.