Whale meat cargo ship from Iceland arrives in Japan Peru: 50 injured during memorial march for killed protesters

A cargo ship carrying whale meat from Iceland has arrived in Japan. A coast guard spokesman for the Japanese whaling town of Shimonoseki confirmed to the German news agency on Friday that the Norwegian refrigerated freighter “Silver Copenhagen” entered port in southwest Japan on Feb. 8. According to the Japanese environmental protection organization Life Investigation Agency (LIA), the cargo ship had about 3,000 tons of whale meat on board.

It is said to be meat from fin whales, which are considered endangered. “Iceland and Japan are undermining international conservation efforts with their whale meat trade. In the face of species extinction and the climate crisis, these exports are a scandal,” says Katrin Matthes of the whale and dolphin conservation organization WDC.

There is almost no demand for whale meat in Japan. In fiscal year 2021, so little marine mammal meat was consumed that per capita consumption was statistically zero, according to figures from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. With Japan importing whale meat in addition to its own whaling, it is hoped that the increased supply will boost demand from the population. To ensure the “smooth security of whaling” and promote the consumption of whale meat, the Ministry of Fisheries has budgeted 5.1 billion yen ($36 million) for this year.

“There is practically no demand for whale meat and no legitimate reason to continue whaling,” criticizes Ren Yabuki, director of the environmental protection organization LIA. “The whaling industry is a symbol of a stagnant Japan. Stuck in the past and unwilling to accept change, a lot of taxpayers’ money is being wasted to protect the interests of a few,” Yabuki said. To increase the demand for whale meat, it is given to children in primary schools and has recently also been offered for sale in self-service vending machines. In addition, whales caught in Iceland are now imported at low prices, Yabuki said. A spokesman for the Ministry of Fisheries declined to comment.

According to the Japanese business newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun, this is the first time in about four years that Japan has been sourcing whale meat from Iceland, about 2,700 tons of fin whales. The animals weigh about 80 tons each, more than double the Bryde’s and sei whales that Japan catches in its own waters. Japan’s whaling industry faces the “challenge of ensuring stable supply”. Stakeholders therefore hoped that increased supply would stimulate demand. Domestic production is said to be around 2,000 tons per year.

(yam/sda/dpa)