Harmful Fishing

Dying for Sushi?
So are hundreds of whales

"Awash in Whale, Japan Can't Eat It All" (MSNBC/AP, 2-9-06)
"Sidestepping global ban, nation increases hunt but customers are fewer"

From the archives:

Time magazine's "Saving the Oceans" ( page 2, scroll to 5th paragraph)
In discussing Japan's heavy reliance on seafood, it states Japan

"...is exceptionally disrespectful toward the ocean. It has disregarded international quotas on catches of southern bluefin tuna and used "scientific research" as a bogus justification for hunting whales in the International Whaling Commission's Antarctic Sanctuary. A 1997 study revealed that of 109 plastic objects found in Midway's albatrosses, 108 had come from Japan. A world leader in so many ways, Japan would greatly improve its moral stature by helping to heal the seas."

WWF Condemns Norway's Decision to Export Whale Products
"Having tried and failed to weaken international safeguards for whales,
Norway has now chosen to flout them altogether."
WWF Global Network (1/17/01)

International Fund for Animal Welfare Condemns Norway's Plans to Export Whale Blubber
IFAW (1/17/01)

Toxin's Taint Norway's Whale Meat
ENN (7/26/00)

Norwegian Whale Meat Contains Deadly Toxins
WWF Global Network (7/5/00)

Greenpeace Highlights Norway's Toxic Blubber Mountain
Greenpeace (4/14/00)

UK Moves to Eliminate Toxic PCBs
"That Norway is pushing to resume trade in whale meat and blubber at all is appalling. That it is attempting to export blubber for consumption in Japan that it knows to be contaminated is beyond belief," said John Frizell of Greenpeace International.
ENN (London, England 4/13/00)

Endangered species being sold in commercial fish markets
Feature story: Shades of Gray (New Times Los Angeles 4/19/01, page 9)

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) - Stop Whaling Now!
Links provided to write to President Clinton and your Representatives
IFAW

World Wildlife Fund condemns Japan's illicit whale take
WWF (9/19/00)

MEMO FROM THE PRESIDENT ON JAPANESE RESEARCH WHALING
U.S. News Wire (9/14/00)

U.S. TAKES FIRST STEP TOWARD SANCTIONS AGAINST JAPAN FOR WHALING PROGRAM
Greenpeace

U.S. warns Japan they may be denied future access to fishing rights in US waters,
and threatened to impose economic sanctions on Japanese food imports.
The Times London ( 9/14/00 From Ben MacIntyre in Washington)

"This is about sushi, not science." "The so called research
that Japan claims to be conducting can all be accomplished through
other non-lethal means." (World Wildlife Vice President Richard Mott)
Environment News Service (9/13/00)

Greenpeace has called on the U.S. government to initiate economic sanctions against Japan under the Pelly Amendment.
Greenpeace

World Wildlife Fund (8/10/00)

CNN (8/4/00)

Time magazine's "Saving the Oceans" ( page 2, scroll to 5th paragraph)
In discussing Japan's heavy reliance on seafood, it states Japan

A young Japanese student wrote with great feeling about our connection to these great species and the importance of their survival - and he won the Prince Takamado award for it!

Prince Takamado Trophy winner: Yushi Oguchi, student
"Whales and Dolphins--Our Friends of the Sea."
Message from Mike and Winston of Gray Whales with Winston:
"What Japan needs is more young people like Yushi.
Maybe this is a sign of changing times in Japan.
We hope so."

Mike and Winston
Save the Whales
Gray Whales with Winston

Comment: Although many Japanese citizens feel as this young student does, evidently Japanese whalers do not. Some whale meat brings in over $100 per pound! We would like to provide a link to the essay "Whales and Dolphins--Our Friends of the Sea" but we are no longer able to locate it online. It has been removed.