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Hi Andrew,

I see any bit of information is an opportunity to spread more misinformation and half-truths for you.

I read the Reuters "article" (it sounds more like propaganda or publicity for WDCS, to me) and looked for the "one" website selling whale meat as dog food. (it's funny that no link to it were given in the articles or on WDCS webpage...)
I found it, and feel the need to precise a bit about what has been said.

First, there is only one website selling only one product called "kujira jerky". It looks very much like dried meat and it is certainly some bits human don't consume as the price, 450 Y for 100 grams, doesn't seem very expensive for whale meat.

Here's the website :
http://www.rakuten.co.jp/hakudai/658479/660375/

I can't see the whaling industry making a lot of profits by selling whale meat as dog food. Besides, I find it very naugthy that WDCS and other NGOs like Greenpeace use two different news to make a sensational piece of information in order to move people. How much funding are expecting from this new propaganda?

The worst is certainly a renamed press agency like Reuters spreading all this crap. How much did they get from WDCS for this?

I hope you'll publish my comment (unlike the one I posted to Shane's "Top 5"), Andy.

Thanks for posting your article and links that are easily accessed, Andrew.
More "food" for thought at this year's IWC meeting.
Should be a lively affair with lots of contentious issues.

I have recently been in corresponce with Dan Goodman & Joji Morishita in response to their paper http://www.icrwhale.org/eng/RoleandProb.pdf on http://www.icrwhale.org/eng-index.htm regardng what they say is the "dysfunctionality" of the IWC. Their response in part was that whale meat is an "important food source for Japanese people". They didn't say that whale meat was an important food source for dogs so I will take this issue up with them too.

I also suggested to them that considering whales belong to everybody, the Japanese are dealing in far more than their fair share, relative to percentage of world population (Japan 1.98% of total), however they responded that rather than whales belonging to "everybody", they in fact belong to "nobody." However, I searched the UNCLOS website for an indication that whales belong to "nobody" but found that in fact whales and all creatures of the open sea are the "common heritage of mankind."

In response to the ethical issues of killing whales, I suggested that as Japanese seem to celebrate Christmas with such enthusiasm, they might like to consider the biblical perspective relative to whales - Leviticus Chapter 11: v10:

"And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you"

Considering also that the majority of Japanese also practice Shinto/Buddhism in some way, I looked up these too and sent them the following:

"Buddhist perspective; core belief – reincarnation - and includes the principle of equality: that all living entities are equal and,“a state that is not pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?" (Samyutta-Nikaya V, p. 354; The Book of the Kindred Sayings V, p. 308f). Also, Shintoism - Natural objects are worshipped as sacred spirits.

I include these perspectives as one of the main justifications for "whaling" (pity the poor animal that has a whole industry attached to its name) by the Japanese (and others) is one of historical and cultural association yet these religious (cultural) perspectives are not mentioned anywhere.

I also suggested to the IWC that they should change their name to the "International Whale Commission" to properly reflect the welfare of whales, not "whaling."

Yours

Marine - Melbourne

Dear Marine from Melbourne,

I read your comment with very much interest, but I have to say there are a lot of things you ignore about whaling in Japan.

First, it doesn't really have relation to whaling but Japanese people's celebration of Christmas is more "commercial" than religious. I have never seen any christian symbols in Japan at Christmas. To them, it is more Santa Claus, Christmas trees and gifts. So, your reference to the Bible doesn't make sense to whaling in Japan.

As for buddhism, you should know that there are funeral services (kuyô) held for whales, tombs of whales (kujira-baka) and monuments (kuyô-tô) erected for whales in many places in Japan. All this come from the development of whaling as an organized activity during the Edo period (1600-1868) and is still performed nowaday. If you have an opportunity, try to visit the Kôgan-ji temple in the bay of Kayoi, city of Nagato (Yamaguchi prefecture).

As far as shinto is concerned, many festivals related to whales and whaling are held in different places with a whaling tradition. For the people there, whales are revered in the same way as the people's ancestors. Whaling is not only a link between one and one's ancestors, but also a link between the people (humans) and the animal (whales). The Japanese living there have a strong feeling of gratitude towards the whales for all they have been granted by the animals.

If you read carefully the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, founding text of the IWC, you'll understand that the IWC's goal is not only the conservation of whales, but also the orderly development of the whaling industry. Renaming the IWC into the "International Whale Commission" doesn't make sense and goes against the stated objective of the Convention.

Our state newspaper, The West Australian, reported on Friday 10th Feb, that this was happening. Japan has so much stock of the whale meat and no one is buying it. In one particular case a shop owner had already lowered the cost of whale meat by 25%, but still people refused to buy it! Perhaps are people starting to realise THAT NO ONE WANTS TO EAT A WHALE!!!!! =D

Hi there (yet again) Isanatori,

You know, it's a fair bit of cheek for someone whose user name is a Japanese word for whaler to go criticizing the objectivity of Reuters. :) But good to see you are still reading our crew weblog.

The whole point is that as the supply of whale meat grows the price drops, spurring increased demand (as dog food or whatever if it drops low enough) - or at least that seems to be the hope of the whaling industry considering they more than doubled their self allotted quota this season. You will note from the articles that they are also engaged in a long-term marketing strategy, which includes serving whale meat in school lunches to get kids used to eating it.

Thanks for the link though. I'd only seen this one...

http://hakudai.com/pet.html

...apparently for the same product.

And you know I always enjoy replying to you, but we've had over 1,800 comments posted in the past few months. If one of your (many) comments was overlooked, or lost because of the technical glitch we had on February 2nd, please re-post it and I will (as usual) be happy to reply.

Isanatori -

In regards to part of you second comment:

"First, it doesn't really have relation to whaling, but Japanese people's celebration of Christmas is more "commercial" than religious."

Yep, I would agree that Japan's current whale hunt (conducted on an industrial scale, thousands off miles from Japan) is "commercial", not "religious" or cultural. If that is what you mean.

It is also true that the IWC was set up as a regulatory body, not a conservation body - and until the commercial whaling moratorium it failed miserably.

These days whales do need protection though, considering the numerous threats they face (global warming, toxic pollution, etc.) on top of hunting.

Hello Andy,

Reuters didn't do any good to its reputation with such an article full of insinuations, in my opinion. But then, you won't be able to understand as you are making (/earning) money with this kind of anti-whaling propaganda through your misleading fundraising campaign.

I see that couldn't help putting what I said about Christmas in Japan out of its context to make allusions about whaling. Typical Greenpeace stuff, ain't it?

I think you've not really understood what's happening in Japan. The demand for whale meat is not increasing at all and certainly won't increase very much. The supply of whale meat will only start to grow signifiantly once the whaling fleet is back from the Southern Ocean. This proves one thing : Japan don't set the quota on the basis of the demand for whale products but for statistical reasons.

Actually, the serving of whale meat in school lunches only concerns regions where there is a custom of eating whale meat (Wakayama, Hokkaido). The peoples there have a right to serve whale meat to their children, don't they? Or maybe, you should decide for them.

Your understanding of the word "conservation" is flawed. I guess it means the same as "preservationism" to you. Besides, could you explain me why the moratorium wasn't backed by the Scientific Committee? And why it was upheld when the Scientific Committee estimated that there were hundreds of thousands of Minke whales in the Southern Ocean?

Let me know, I'm curious to know.

Dear Isanatori,

In response to your comments,

It is true that the Christmas tree is a Christianisation of the ancient Pagan idea that an evergreen tree is a representation of the renewal of life. Another legend says that an evergreen tree was used to introduce the concept of the Trinity to Pagan tribes, due to its triangular appearance. Either way, a Christmas tree is now a symbol of Christianity, despite its commercialism, so I am not sure what the Japanese are in fact celebrating, if not Christianity. This fact is reiterated by the banning of Christmas trees in most Islamic countries, due to their inexorable association with Christianity. However, if the Japanese are really "celebrating" commercialism via Christian symbols, as you intimate, then it is trying to have it both ways, however, I will let the Bible speak for itself: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" Matthew 6:24

With regard to funeral services for whales, I have not yet seen any funerals performed in the Southern Ocean for the in excess of 1000 whales currently being slaughtered, or indeed any of the lyrical practices you describe, including prayers, which somehow seem inappropriate, given the violence of a whale-kill.

In fact traditional whaling practices bear no relation to the industrial slaughter that is now going on. For one thing, whaling was originally practiced by a much smaller population which also practiced natural conservation methods, and due to the beliefs of Buddhism and existence of a soul in every creature, prayers were said as the whale was being killed to eliminate the soul. During that early period, it has been estimated that there were approximately 4M whales in the earth's oceans. There are now 128M Japanese, 6B humans in total on the planet, and whales are counted in the thousands, not millions.

If the IWC is as "dysfunctional" as is claimed by Dan Goodman & Joji Morishita, then it is clear that a new paradigm is required.

Thank you Isantori however for contributing these stimulating posts.

Yours

Marine - Melbourne

Hi Marine from Melbourne,

Your rhetoric and quoting of the Bible are interesting, but only prove that you don't know very much about the nature of Christmas in Japan. There are no Christmas trees in Japanese homes in december. To the Japanese, Christmas is no more than an occasion to exchange gifts with the one you love (not your family), a bit like the Valentine Day. There are some christans in Japan, but most Japanese people aren't. You should read about the introduction of christianism in Japan, you would see the Japanese were more interested in the cultural assets (clothes, etc.) brought by the missionaries than the ideology.

As for the funeral services offered to whales, it is generally performed in Japan, once the whaling season is over. It is exactly because whaling involves the killing of a creature, that the prayers are needed and appropriate. But, eh, you can't understand what you don't know at all, can you?

I see you don't know very much whaling in Japan either. During the Edo period, whaling was done by groups called "kujira-gumi" and were composed of hundreds, in some cases thousands, of workers. Whale meat and oil had a great economic value and were the object of an important trade. What differs between traditional and contemporary whaling, is mainly the introduction of machines (engines, harpoon gun, etc.). The realtion to the whale is almost the same.

Besides, the Japanese are not the only ones responsible for the diminution in whales ressources. I can name easily the following countries for participating in the depletion of whales stocks : USA, England, Norway, USSR, Australia, Netherlands, South Africa, Peru, New Zealand, etc.
If you don't make distinctions between whale species, you can count more than one million of them in the Earth's oceans.

Thank you for your not less stimulating responses.

Isanatori,
Didn't the Japanese Minister Komatsu call the minkes the cockroaches of the sea?

Hi Isantori,

Whether Christmas trees are in people's homes or in the Tokyo Tower, supports my point that countries which adopt religious symbols might intelligently consider the origin and context of these symbols. It is nothing to do with converting Japanese to Christianity.

I will look forward to reading about the next batch of funerals for the current slaughter, but this doesn't really address the problem of reincarnation and what happens to the soul of the whale in the interim. Perhaps 3 months later is too late for reinacarnation.

The "killed anyway" argument is specious; sometimes traditions are nothing to be proud of as they alert us to the intrinsic destructive impulse in humans, leading to massive increases of human populations everywhere, and a corresponding decrease in wildlife and environment. It is for this reason that many countries have modified their behaviours (learning the lessons of history) and recognise the common heritage of all mankind, the perspective of future generations, and promote humane and compassionate dealings with all creatures of the land and sea.

It is not a case of who killed most, but who is still stuck in the 19th century, still killing, now in the open seas, using explosive harpoons and floating meat processing factories.

Yours Marine - Melbourne

*2nd try*

Hello Marine,

"Whether Christmas trees are in people's homes or in the Tokyo Tower, supports my point that countries which adopt religious symbols might intelligently consider the origin and context of these symbols. It is nothing to do with converting Japanese to Christianity."

Although you my defend yourself from "converting Japanese to christianism, I think your rhetoric linking Christmas trees to whaling is very much specious and no more than an attempt to impose your beliefs on the Japanese.

I guess you know "very well" buddhism as well to declare that 3 months is too late for reincarnation. Anyway, I leave all that religious rhetoric to you.

You may think most countries stopped whaling because they became aware of the damage it was doing to the whales ressources, but the historical truth is different. It is mainly because the whaling industries of England, the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand couldn't make anymore profit due to lower catch quotas and cheaper substitutes to whale oil, that they stopped. It is then an easy thing for this countries to fingerpoint to Japan as a scapegoat.
The Japanese recognize the errors of the past, but still want to continue whaling, of course without endagering whales species anymore.

It is to the Japanese only to decide if they have to abandon their whaling culture (I prefer that word to the one of "tradition"). Of course, they have a duty to make sure they don't deplete the whales species, that's why they're still in the IWC. They could have quit it long ago and made another regulatory regime for whaling if they wanted to.

Hi Isantori,

I think saving animals and the environment is a really good thing to do! I support this organisation! Even though I'm still not that old(11 only), but I hope one day I can join in this team!!
I hope people will stop this whale eating maddnes soon! Good luck with saving the enviroment!

From:

Jennifer!
P.S. I think u guys rock!!;-)

Isanatori,

I find it misleading how you talk about "the Japanese" as if the whole country is all one unified group mind. In fact, most Japanese don't care much about commercial whaling one way or the other, and some are opposed to it.

And I don't think anyone is pointing to "the Japanese" as a scapegoat - merely pointing out that it is only one of three nations (Norway and Iceland being the other two) that still have a whaling industry.

How about we leave both the religion and patriotic stuff out of the debate, and stay focused on the facts.

Hello Jennifer,

Protecting the environment and the animals from destruction is doubtless a good thing to do. However, I doubt that forcing Japan (and Iceland and Norway) to stop whaling is "protecting the environment and the animals from destruction".

There is no reason why whaling should be forever banned. Greenpeace calls a bit too much for the precautionnary principle and tries to justify their claim by quoting the past. There is no flawless measures, but by being flexible and adaptable such measure can make it possible to regulate an activity such as whaling without harming further the whales ressources.

What is needed is to understand the past mistakes and adapt measures in order these mistakes don't occur anymore. What Greenpeace is calling for is no more than the policy of the ostrich : ignore the problems rather than try to deal with them. It is not a good thing to do.

I understand people saying they don't want Japan to kill whales because they have a special feeling towards this animal, but nobody can impose one's way of thinking or beliefs to others. We are in multicultural world, people have to accept and understand that there are differences in cultures, beliefs, way of thinking.

The massacres of whales that occured in the past certainly won't occur again because of some factors. First, there are only a few countries still whaling, and they do it for the human consupmption of whale meat ; besides the demand is very low. Second, the regulatory body of whalin, IWC, count many countries that are very interested in the conservation of whales ressources. Third, we have a better knowledge of whales, better techniques to control the movement of whale products (DNA, etc.).

One last thing, whaling and whale watching are incompatible as both exists in Norway, Iceland and Japan.

In other words, banning whaling is not saving the whales. Far from it.

By the way, there's been a bunch of articles lately about whale meat in school lunches. From One news (NZ):

The board provided over 1,000 kilograms of whale meat for more than 100 elementary and junior high schools in Kyoto, Osaka and Nara prefectures and Tokyo in January of this year alone.

Isanatori - Sounds to me like this contradicts your earlier comment.

-- Andrew

Hello again Ishanatori,

You are making a big assumption in ascribing "my beliefs" - in fact throughout I have merely said that Japanese could consider these different aspects of faith that they appear to have more than a passing acquaintance with, to inform their actions. Actually, I am interested in the guidance from all religions on aspects of the everyday life of humanity; as an antidote to, and explanation for, greed, acquisition, selfishness, cruelty, commercialism etc etc etc.

Reincarnation however would seem to be out, for these whales anyway, and most creatures that are slaughtered indiscriminately every minute of every day, as the Buddhist notion of "merit" engenders a gentle non-violent attitude towards living creatures.

The "errors of the past" might be nothing compared to the errors of the present. There are too many unknowns in respect of whales and there is more to life on earth than statistics. Who knows for example, what effect the killing of one whale has on another? Who knows what effect industrial slaughter in the feeding grounds of the Southern Ocean has on the internal population dynamics and fertility rates of the entire population of whale species?

Your last comment seems unrealisic as we are here talking about the common heritage of mankind, and creatures that may well be declared, in the future, to have a moral entity.

Hi again Marine,

Your last comment is perfectly illustrating what I said about the precautionary principle. Just because there are uncertainties is not a reason to do nothing. That is no more than cowardice, fear to confront problems and try to solve them.
If we were to apply this principle to every natural ressources, we wouldn't be able to do anything (not even live).

You may call whales a "common heritage of mankind", but you also have to accept that the IWC is the body regulating this "common heritage". Japan is operating scientific whaling in accordance to the founding text of the IWC which many nations have signed, and thus agreed the contents.

Unfortunatly, it´s not a problem about whale industry but a people´s culture. The industry works because there is someone buying the meat. and for the industry, or the government, it doesn´t matter what Christ, Buddha or xintoism have to say about whale killing, they just doesn´t care. But that japanese consumer (or someone from any other nationality) does (or should).

The fact of something being cultural doesn´t means it´s right or fair. I am brazilian and I could say that people here is putting the trees down because it´s cultural and we have been doing it for years. Any american could say that they are killing people around the world because it´s a wild west cultural tradition (the oil is for the cultural automobile american tradition).

The whale are (or not) in international ocean space and independent of that, they are a mankind responsability, not only Japan or Iceland.

It's criminal and illegal to hunt whales in a whale sanctuary and kill endangered whales despite whatever the law , regulations , IWC , or the nations that vote within the IWC state. It could never be justified, at least not morally.

For example, we had this Swedish case, when two persons killeed an old defenseless man. They both accused each other for the murder, and it could never be proven in court which man had killed the old man , so none of the persons could be sentenced to prison for murder, but were found not guilty! The law was on their side, like the law and regulations or the loophole are on the Japanese side, still the Japanese and the men who killed the man are criminals and have committed a crime.

* 2nd try *

"It's criminal and illegal to hunt whales in a whale sanctuary and kill endangered whales despite whatever the law , regulations , IWC , or the nations that vote within the IWC state. It could never be justified, at least not morally."

That's a good one, Ann N! lol
You need to read carefully the founding text of the IWC, the ICRW, specially article VIII which states that scientific whaling is not bound to any other regulations (eg. moratorium, sanctuaries) included in the Convention.

However, I was right to criticize Reuters as it seems the incriminated pet food comes from Baird's beaked whale meat. This toothed whale species is not hunted as a part of Japan's scientific whaling programmes.

Sometimes, journalists should remember the word deontology rather than seek sensationalism and listen to all the claptrap from preservationist NGOs such as WDCS. Pity!

Read more here : The Japan Times and The Institute of Cetacean Research.

Hi Isanatori,

As usual you are trying to have it both ways. Firstly you stick to the letter of Article VIII, then you suggest that journalists should remember deontology. In fact "careful" reading of Article VIII suggests it is inherently deontological (holding that decisions should be made solely or primarily by considering one's duties and the rights of others) and that the Japanese are ignoring both the spirit and the essence of Article VIII by cloaking barbarity in science.

"Science" is ultimately demeaned.

Marine

Isanatori,

You should read that Japan Times article more carefully. The ICR guy actually admits that some of the whale from their bogus "research" program is used as pet food:

"Hatanaka added that a small percentage of byproduct from whales, which are caught through Japan's scientific research program, are also used in pet food."

A "small percentage" is of course conveniently subjective phrasing, but the point is that the Times story is accurate.

The Japan Times article also says:

Hatanaka said, however, that demand for whale meat always outstrips supply, which is why the government has to regulate prices. Otherwise, whale would become unaffordable for many people, he said.

Hatanaka said the supply of meat is kept under strict control and "drip fed" to ensure it is available in selected areas throughout the year.

But this contradicted by what the Japanese Fisheries Agency told Asahi newspaper, which reported last week:

The excess stock stems from the expanded catch of whales in the northwestern area of the Pacific Ocean, coupled with sluggish demand among consumers.

The whale meat stock soared to 4,800 tons at the end of August, before falling to 3,511 tons at the end of December. The stockpile was between 600 tons and 700 tons in 1998.

Fisheries Agency officials say the mounting stockpile could fuel anti-whaling nations' arguments that Japan should reduce the number of whales it hunts or terminate the whaling program altogether.

The agency plans to develop new sales channels and reduce prices to lift consumption.

As for the unfortunate Baird's whale, I don't know much about it, but did find something on the EIA website.

* 2nd try *

Hi Andy,

I did read that article carefully, and I suppose you did. However, you couldn't help manipulating the information, could you?

In the ICR press release, I read :

"The whale meat used for the pet food was "hyakuhiro" - the small intestine of the whale commonly referred to as tripe - and other cheaper cuts that are not utilized for human consumption. Similarly, a small percentage of whale by-products from the research programs, ie leavings after processing, that are not utilized for human consumption are also processed for the pet food market. (...)
As with other meat industries, such as cattle and sheep slaughtering for instance, not every part of the whale - intestines, some organs, etc - is appropriate for human consumption and these parts are processed for the pet food market."

The story in the Times is obviously not accurate at all, as there is no links between the whale meat glut and the "kujira jerky" sold by Hakudai.
You should admit it was just an attempt to MISLEAD people and to raise funds.

I read that EIA article about Baird's beaked whale, and I find it to be no more than anti-whaling propaganda. EIA is certainly not a serious reference.

Isanatori,
Re your *2nd try* comments, implying I assume that we are censoring you (which we quite obviously are not): Andrew is working often on a dial-up line somewhere in South Africa and can't answer you immediately. Please give him a break! I don't approve your comments (or anyone elses directed at someone personally) before they see them, otherwise it's possible they will miss them and not reply at all.
Adele

Hi Isanatori,

First, we don't know how much minke whale is ending up as dog food, and we don't know how much of that is muscle vs. intestine - because the ICR is not a believable source. They consistently twist and the truth to their own purposes, and there is no independent third party verifying what they are saying.

However, if you really insist on over-analysing every last word, even the ICR press release does not deny the use of minke whale meat as dog food. Instead it only refers to, "tripe – and other cheaper cuts" - saying these are not "appropriate" for human consumption.

So, the most marketable parts of the whale goes to humans, the stuff they're having trouble selling goes to pet food and the rest gets thrown overboard. In fact, while in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary we saw an awful lot of whale guts (aka tripe) discarded by the whalers.

The truth: Whale meat (including minke) is being used as dog food. Japanese consumer demand for whale is slack. There is a massive stockpile of whale meat.

I've documented these facts for you clearly in this discussion.

Furthermore, the government has said it is going to, "develop new sales channels and reduce prices to lift [whale] consumption" (quoting Asahi Shimbun news, which is certainly not against whaling).

Hello Andrew,

I've read your latest comment with very much interest. You should stand to your first admission ("we don't know") before revealing what you would like people to believe to be the truth.

The reports in the media were wrong as there is no link between that pet food made of small intestine from Baird's beaked whale and the whale meat glut.
Hatanaka may have admitted that some parts of whale meat obtained through Japanese research whaling are processed into pet food, you don't have any proof that the Japanese are trying to get rid of their stockpile of whale meat by feeding it to dogs.

In fact, WDCS and you, Greenpeace, are playing on people's feelings of disgust by making them believe the Japanese government is massively feeding whale meat to dogs. The reason is that your "save the whale" campaign is a very good way to raise funds as long as people believe your misleading claims. The fact that you have as much (if not more) interest in this as the Japanese whalers have interest in continuing whaling, makes you as much believable as the ICR you criticize.

Anyway, I don't expect you and me to agree on anything about whaling except maybe the need to avoid whales to get extinct...which, to me, doesn't necessarily mean putting an end Japanese whaling.

Actually, what I said was, "some of the massive glut of excess and unwanted whale meat in Japan is being turned into... dog food." That is a fact. And it is simple economics as well: Too much supply and not enough demand means prices drop until a use for the product is found.

I understand from some things you've posted, and the ICR has said, that the price of whale meat is artificially controlled by the government - according to them to keep it from being too expensive. Pretty dubious considering that, as reported in the Japan Times, the inventory of whale meat has doubled in the past decade while consumption has remained "relatively sluggish". And that is even before the Fisheries Agency doubled the maximum Antacrtic whale take to 945 this season. More from the article:

According to a report compiled by a group led by freelance journalist Junko Sakuma, which accessed agricultural ministry data and other sources to check the inventory, the research whaling program has expanded while consumption of whale meat has been relatively sluggish.


Because the government has already widened the program for this whaling season, the stockpile is likely to get bigger.

... snip ...

The Fisheries Agency admits the whale meat inventory is rising and has begun studying ways to expand sales in Japan.

"It is true that such a trend exists. We will study ways to expand sales channels as well as to reform sales methods," an agency official said.

That is not a fact, that is an hypothesis. As I said, you don't have any proof that part of the stockpiles of whale meat are processed into pet food. What Hatanaka said doesn't support your assumption. The "other cheaper cuts" refers to "kujira jerky" made out of Baird's beaked whale meat and sold by Hakudai.

By the way, the fact that the Fisheries Angency of Japan decided to increase its annual quotas in Antarctic despite rising stocks of whale meat, proves their scientific whaling programmes are not "commercial whaling in disguise" as you may say, since the quotas are NOT set on the demand for whale products in Japan. That's as simple as economics. :)

As I have said, I don't trust Hatanaka. In my opinion, he has little credibility, and plenty motivation to cover up how much of the surplus whale stock is being turned into dog food - so when he admits it is happening at all I tend to believe it. To be clear, I say Hatanaka admitted that whale meat from the ICR hunt is being used as pet food. Here is the quote in question and let's just let people decide for themselves:

"The whale meat used for the pet food was "hyakuhiro" – the small intestine of the whale commonly referred to as tripe – and other cheaper cuts that are not utilized for human consumption,” Dr. Hatanaka said. Similarly, a small percentage of whale by-products from the research programs, i.e. some leavings after processing, that are not utilized for human consumption are also processed for the pet food market."
-- ICR press release, 16 February 2006

"Whale meat from the ICR hunt is used as pet food."

Please let me know if we can agree on this much at a minimum.

As for simple economics, increasing the supply of whale meat fits with their stated goal of lowering prices.

I'm sorry to say that I don't agree with your assumption.
I would rather say :

"Cheaper cuts of whale meats and other leavings that are not used for human consumption, are processed into pet food."

What Hatanaka said doesn't support your saying about the surplus of whale meat being turned into pet food. You may fool most people by playing with their feelings on this, but not me. I know Greenpeace have a financial interest in this anti-whaling propaganda. You wouldn't be able to raise as much funds with a "save the cod" campaign, would you? ...even though cods are more threatened than Minke whales.

As for "simple economics", lowering prices of whale meat won't certainly be enough to have the Japanese to eat more whale meat. It is not so simple.

Let's put these two statements next to each other:

"Cheaper cuts of whale meats and other leavings that are not used for human consumption, are processed into pet food."

"Whale meat from the ICR hunt is used as pet food."

Both statements are true. In fact, are identical, except the first one has stuff added in to spin it in the whalers' favour - "not used for human consumption", is redundant since we are talking about meat that ends up as pet food (so by definition it is not for human consumption).

It is also true that lower prices alone might not be enough to increase human whale meat consumption dramatically, which is why the whaling industry is also engaging in an aggressive marketing campaign. From The Times:

This has led the Japan Whaling Association to publish a pamphlet, Scrumptious Whale, promoting whale meat as a food, and cookery magazines have been persauded to talk up whale meat recipes long rejected in normal Japanese homes.

Children aged between 5 and 11 are given "whale culture" lectures in which they are told about rising whale populations and then encouraged to tuck into deep-fried whale cubes.

As for cod, I suggest doing a quick search on the Greenpeace website. You will find Greenpeace works on a wide range of oceans issues (including cod). And I am speaking from the heart when I tell you that every one of us wishes commercial whaling would finally end. There is so much other work to do.

In fact, tomorrow the Esperanza departs to continue her round the world Defending Our Oceans expedition. The overall goal is establishing a global network of marine parks, but along the way her crew will also address pirate fishing, bottom trawling, overfishing, fish farming, pollution and global warming.

I won't be on board though. I've been here for over three months already. An entirely new, fresh crew is taking over. So, I'm going to close this discussion to give the new web editor and the new crew a chance to stir up their own debates, on new issues. But never fear, sometime soon Greenpeace will be launching a Defending Our Oceans discussions forum. I hope to see you there.