SC/56/O3
STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL THE OPENING PLENARY AT IWC/56

THE 2004/2005 PLAN OF THE JAPANESE WHALERESEARCH PROGRAM UNDER SPECIAL PERMIT IN
THE ANTARCTIC (JARPA)
GOVERNMENT OF JAPANINTRODUCTION

The Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA) has been conducted
every year since the 1987/88 season in compliance with Article VIII of the International Convention for the
Regulation of Whaling. After two seasons of feasibility study in 1987/88 and 1988/89, the full-scale researchstarted in the 1989/90 season (Government of Japan, 1989). The full-scale program is planned to continue fora period of 16 years and to end following the 2004/05 season. The Scientific Committee of the International
Whaling Commission (IWC/SC) agreed to start planning for the review of the final JARPA results andestablished a small working group to undertake the planning process (IWC, 2004).
The objectives of the JARPA are: (i) estimation of biological parameters of minke whale stock, (ii)elucidation of the role of whales in the Antarctic ecosystem, (iii) elucidation of the effect of environmental
changes on cetaceans, and (iv) elucidation of the stock structure of the Southern Hemisphere minke whales
to improve stock management (Government of Japan, 1987; 1995; 1996).
In the surveys in Areas IV and V, a sample size of 300 (+10%) has been maintained to achieve a long-term
consistency of surveys in these areas. From the 1995/96 season, the survey area was expanded longitudinallyto cover the eastern part of Area III (35°E-70°E) and western part of Area VI (145°W-170°W). The objectiveof this expansion was to investigate the distribution of stock (s) occurring in Areas IV and V and an
additional sample of 100 (+10%) minke whales have been taken every year in the extended Areas(Government of Japan, 1995). A total of eight surveys have been conducted covering the whole of Area IV
and seven covering the whole of Area V. Five surveys have been conducted in Area IIIE and four in Area
VIW.
Annual research plans and scientific papers derived from JARPA have been submitted to the IWC/SC eachyear for their review. In addition, in May, 1997, the IWC/SC carried out a comprehensive review of the data
and results obtained by the JARPA at its half-way point (IWC, 1998a). The report of this review notes thehigh value of the data accumulated to that point and that the JARPA had already made important
contributions toward the objectives of the program. Reviewers also agreed that the JARPA has the potential
to improve the management of minke whales in the Southern Hemisphere. Specifically it was agreed that:
Results from JARPA will be useful in reducing the current set of plausible scenarios for the RMP, and willcontribute to increase the allowed catch without increasing the depletion risk. JARPA has the potential toprovide answers to various questions concerning the trend of stock fluctuation of minke whales in Areas IV
and V and already has made large contribution to elucidating the biological parameters for Areas IV and V.
JARPA is useful for elucidating the role of whales in the Antarctic ecosystem and the collected data should
be useful to verify hypotheses such as the ‘krill surplus model’.
At its meeting in 1997, the IWC/SC agreed that none of the sampling and stock identity problems that had
been identified in the JARPA review, would in principle prevent JARPA from achieving its objectives interms of estimation of biological parameters (IWC, 1998b). The Committee also identified ten main areas ofresearch to address these unresolved problems. Studies addressing these ten areas as well as other JARPArelated studies, have been conducted and reported to past IWC/SC meetings (Abe et al., 1999; Clarke et al.,
1999; Fujise et al., 1999; Fujise and Ohsumi, 1999; ICR, 1999; Matsuoka et al., 1999; Pastene and Goto,
1999; Polacheck et al., 1999: Butterworth et al., 1999). Other studies related to the JARPA tasks e.g. GAM
based abundance estimation, were presented to the 52nd IWC/SC meting (Clarke et al., 2000).

1The main text of this document outlines the JARPA plan for the austral seasons 2004/2005 in Areas V and
VIW. The attached appendix describes the survey plan of the R/V Kaiyo Maru, which will be conducted in
co-operation with the regular JARPA survey. The major aim of the Kaiyo Maru survey is to simultaneously
collect data on both whales and krill to relate their distribution and abundance to the physical and biologicalenvironment in a meso scale. It should be noted here that this survey follows the suggestions offered by the
IWC/Working Group to review data and results from JARPA (IWC, 1998a). The Working Group noted thatelucidating the role of whales in the marine ecosystem also requires concurrent studies on the distribution
and abundance of prey species and suggested that process oriented studies would be useful which integrated
information from physical and biological oceanography with zooplankton and predator studies. Such studies
should be conducted on a smaller scale. The research activities of this vessel are non-lethal and they are
related to objectives ii) and iii) of JARPA (see appendix for details of the Kaiyo Maru survey).
OBJECTIVES OF JARPA

No change from the previous research plan (see Government of Japan, 1987; 1995; 1996).
NUMBER, SEX, SAMPLING SIZE AND AREA

In 2004/05 three hundred (300) Antarctic minke whales with 10% allowances (+10%) will be sampled in
Area V. In addition to this, 100 Antarctic minke whales (+10%) will be sampled in the western half of Area
VI (145°W - 170°W). The continuation of the survey in Area VI is necessary for the study on stock structure
as explained in the previous plans and reiterated below.
Area V sampling design remains unchanged to obtain data compatible with the past JARPA surveys. The
same sample size is also retained to ensure maintenance of present levels of precision for data analysis. All
samples will be randomly taken, using the same methodology as employed in the past.
RESEARCH NEEDS AND APPLICABILITY OF NON-LETHAL METHODS
Research needs in Areas V

No change from the previous research plan (see Government of Japan, 1987; 1989; 1995; 1996).
Research needs in the western part of Area VI

Estimation of biological parameters, which is the main objective of the JARPA, should ideally be carried out
on the basis of genetically identified stock units. It is therefore very important to corroborate the hypotheses
on stock identity derived from genetic and non-genetic analyses under JARPA (e.g. Pastene et al. 1996;
Fujise, 1995). As explained in previous plan, the analyses of genetic data suggested a lot of movement of
Antarctic minke whales across the IWC-boundary between Areas IV and V. This result has been
corroborated recently by analyses of several independent biological and ecological markers. These analyses
provide no biological support for a stock boundary at 130°E. Rather these results are consistent with a main(core) stock occupying Area IV and a part of Area V. Different stocks could occur at the lateral sectors of the
JARPA research area as suggested by some degree of heterogeneity in Area IIIE (at least detected by someof the approaches being used) and Area VIW (see below). The additional surveys in Areas IIIE and VIW are
therefore important to investigate distribution and boundaries (geographical and temporal) of stocks.
The Committee has noted that only preliminary conclusions about stock structure can be drawn and that
more concrete conclusions will be able to be made following the completion of different analyses (e.g.
microsatellites). It further supported the suggestion that additional analyses using alternative groupings andanalytical methods should be conducted (IWC, 2004).
In response to those suggestions the study on stock structure under the JARPA has been extended by the useof several biological markers, both genetic and non-genetic (e.g. mtDNA, microsatellites, body proportion,
ecological markers (relative occurrence of parasites), conception date and average body length of animals
aged over 15 years old) and alternative groupings of samples (temporal and geographical). These approaches
are being used for examining the total samples of the JARPA from 1987/88 to 2001/02.
An evaluation of preliminary results suggests that whales from Area VIW are differentiated from Areas III,IV and VW (the relationships between these whales and Area VE is still being investigated). Therefore theseresults provide support to an earlier suggestion based on morphological analysis that whales in Area VIW
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belong to a different stock (Doroshenko, 1979; Kato, 1982). These results also confirm that the additional
sampling in the extended research Areas of JARPA is producing useful information on stock structure.
Four JARPA surveys have been conducted in the western part of Area VI, in 1996/97, 1998/99, 2000/01 and2002/03. Samples size for the 1998/99 survey is small (the survey in that year was conducted in a shorter
period due to a fire accident on the research base vessel). There is the need of further sampling in Area VIW
because previous results suggest additional stock structure in that sector. Additional sampling is also
necessary to investigate yearly variation in that sector. Analyses of samples of 2002/03 using different
approaches are still under way. Comprehensive results will be reported during the JARPA review meeting.
Acoustic and other surveys

The extent of the temporal variation (within and between years) of stock distribution patterns will also be
examined using other available data such as ice edge conditions, prey species availability, and nutritional
condition of sampled whales. Recently, surveys have been conducted with echo sounding equipment on the
dedicated sighting vessel. The distribution and abundance of the food species including Antarctic krill, amajor food species for the Antarctic minke whale, will be identified throughout the entire research area.
Furthermore, the Yushin Maru, one of the sighting and sampling vessels, and the Kyoshin Maru No.2, thededicated sighting vessel, are equipped with the Electric Particle Counting and Sizing System (EPCS). Thissystem allows for quantification of chlorophyll in surface water. Also, useful information can be expectedwith regard to the survey of the Antarctic ecosystem, which is one of the important objectives of theresearch, as well as clarification of the possible impact of environmental changes on whale stocks. In thisway the dynamics of stocks can be studied in the context of the oceanographic conditions and dynamics ofthe prey species in the research area (e.g. Murase et al., 2002). Research activities by the R/V Kaiyo Maru
will be particularly useful on this regard (see Appendix).
Applicability of non-lethal methods

No change from the previous research plan (see Government of Japan, 1995; 1996).
POSSIBLE EFFECT ON THE STOCKThis matter was already described in the previous research plan (see Government of Japan, 1995; 1996).
OPPORTUNITY FOR PARTICIPATION BY FOREIGN SCIENTISTS

No change from the previous research plan (see Government of Japan, 1987; 1994).
OUTLINE OF 2004/2005 RESEARCH IN AREAS V AND VIW

Number of research vessels: No change from the previous research plan (see Government of Japan, 1996;
2002). R/V Kaiyo Maru will cooperate with the JARPA fleet.
Research period: No change from the previous research plan (see Government of Japan, 1996; 2002).
Research area: No change from the previous research plan (Area Ｖ and the western half of Area VI) (seeGovernment of Japan, 1996; 2002).
Sighting method: No change from the previous research plan (see Government of Japan, 1996; 2002).
Sampling method: No change from the previous research plan (see Government of Japan, 1996; 2002).
Cooperative work with R/V Kaiyo Maru will be added.
REFERENCES
Abe, H., Goto M., Katsumata, Y., Mizutani, M. and Pastene L.A. 1999. Preliminary microsatellite DNA analysis to investigate stock structure in the
Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Paper SC/51/CAWS9 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1999 (unpublished).
12pp.
Butterworth, D.S., Punt, A.E., Fujise, Y. and Kato, H. 1999. Do the JARPA age-structure data for Southern Hemisphere minke whales provide
indication that commercial selectivity could have been age-specific for higher ages? Paper SC/51/CAWS21 presented to the IWC ScientificCommittee, May 1999 (unpublished). 10pp.
Clarke, E.D., Burt, M.L. and Borchers, D.L. 1999. Simulations of JARPA surveys to test abundance estimation methods. Paper SC/51/RMP16
presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1999 (unpublished). 17pp+appendices.

3Clarke, E.D., Burt, M.L. and Borchers, D.L. 2000. Investigation of bias in GAM-based abundance estimation methods and their suitability for JARPA
survey data. Paper SC/52/IA19 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, June 2000 (unpublished). 15pp.
Doroshenko, N.V. 1979. Populations of minke whales in the Southern Hemisphere. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 29: 361-4.
Fujise, Y. 1995. A preliminary morphometric study in minke whales from Antarctic Area IV using data from the 1989/90 JARPA survey. Paper
SC/47/SH7 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1995 (unpublished). 15pp.
Fujise, Y. and Ohsumi, S. 1999. Progress of the outstanding tasks identified at the JARPA review meeting. Paper SC/51/CAWS13 presented to the
IWC Scientific Committee, May 1999 (unpublished). 5pp.
Fujise, Y., Tamura, T., Ichihashi, H. and Kishino, H. 1999. Further examinations of the segregation pattern of minke whales in the Antarctic Area IV
using a logistic regression model, with considerations on the pack ice distribution. Paper SC/51/CAWS18 presented to the IWC ScientificCommittee, May 1999 (unpublished). 18pp.
Government of Japan. 1987. The programme for research on the Southern Hemisphere minke whale and for preliminary research on the marine
ecosystem in the Antarctic. Paper SC/39/O4 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, June 1987 (unpublished). 60pp.
Government of Japan. 1989. The research plan in 1989/90 in conjunction with note for "The programme for research on the Southern Hemisphereminke whale and for preliminary research on the marine ecosystem in the Antarctic (SC/39/O4)". Paper SC/41/SHMi13 presented to the IWC
Scientific Committee, May 1989 (unpublished). 21pp.
Government of Japan. 1994. The 1994/95 Research Plan of Japanese Whale Research Programme under Special Permit in the Antarctic. Paper
SC/46/SH16 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1994 (unpublished). 7pp.
Government of Japan. 1995. The 1995/96 Research Plan for the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic. Paper
SC/47/SH3 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1995 (unpublished). 9pp.
Government of Japan. 1996. The 1996/97 Research Plan for the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic. Paper
SC/48/SH3 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, April 1996 (unpublished). 10pp.
Government of Japan. 2002. The 2002/2003 Research Plan for the Japanese Whale Research Program under Special Permit in the Antarctic (JARPA).
Paper SC/54/O1 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 2002 (unpublished). 7pp.
Institute of Cetacean Research. 1999. Research activities of the Institute of Cetacean Research (RAICR) May 1998-April 1999. Paper SC/51/O6
presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1999 (unpublished). 29pp.
International Whaling Commission. 1998a. Report of the Intersessional Working Group to review data and results from special permit research onminke whales in the Antarctic, Tokyo, 12-16 May 1997. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 48: 377-412.
International Whaling Commission. 1998b. Report of the Scientific Committee. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 48:55-302.
International Whaling Commision. 2004. Report of the Scientific Committee. J. Cetacean. Res. Manage. (in press).
Kato, H. 1982. Some biological parameters for the Antarctic minke whales. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 32: 935-45.
Matsuoka, K., Watanabe, A., Ichii, T., Shimada, H. and Nishiwaki, S. 1999. Application of the XCTD oceanographic survey in the Antarctic Areas
IIIE and IV (35ºE-130ºE) during 1997/98 JARPA cruise. Paper SC/51/E5. presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1999 (unpublished).
11pp.
Murase, H., Matsuoka, K., Ichii, T. and Nishiwaki, S. 2002. Relationship between the distribution of euphausiids and baleen whales in the Antarctic(35°E-145°W). Polar Biol. 25:135-145.
Pastene, L.A, Goto, M., Itoh, S. and Numachi, K. 1996. Spatial and temporal patterns of mitochondrial DNA variation in minke whales from
Antarctic Area IV and V. Rep. int. Whal. Commn 46:305-314.
Pastene, L.A. and Goto M. 1999. Further spatial and temporal analysis of mitochondrial DNA variation in minke whales from Areas III and IV withconsiderations on the pack-ice distribution. Paper SC/51/CAWS11 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1999 (unpublished). 11pp.
Polacheck, T., Dobbie, M., Fujise, Y. and Kato, H. 1999. Spatial and temporal distribution of ages of Southern Hemisphere minke whales incommercial and JARPA catches in areas IV and V. Paper SC/51/CAWS31 presented to the IWC Scientific Committee, May 1999 (unpublished).
32pp.

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Appendix

Survey Plan of R/V Kaiyo Maru in 2004/05
MIKIO NAGANOBU AND KENJI TAKI
National Research Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, 5-7-1 Shimizu-Orido, Shizuoka 424-8633, Japan.
OBJECTIVES

The major aim of this survey is to simultaneously collect data on whales using non-lethal methods and krill
in order to relate their distribution and abundance to the physical and biological environment in a meso scale.
The survey will be conducted in cooperation with the JARPA survey. The collected data will be also used toanalyze the influences of long-term change in the environment on the whales and krill.
SURVEY AREA
Ross Sea and adjacent waters (Area Ⅴ and the west side of Area Ⅵ; see below.). Actual target areas (approx.
300km x 300-500km) and transect lines will be set to cover hot spots of whales (ex. Balleny Is.).

SCHEDULE

November 2004 – March 2005.
Two meso scale survey cruises (approx. 300km x 300-500km, one month) will be conducted during theperiod.
RESEARCH VESSEL

R/V Kaiyo Maru (2,630GT, Fisheries Agency of Japan) is a 93m long flush-decked stern trawler, which has
excellent capability of mid-water trawling and acoustic survey.
SURVEY ITEMS(1) Mid-Water Trawl Sampling

Zooplankton, krill, micronekton and fishes, which are important prey items for whales, will be collectedusing the multiple rectangular mid-water trawl (RMT(1+8)M) and the standard mid-water trawl toinvestigate their horizontal/vertical distribution and abundance.
(2) Acoustic Survey

The multiple-frequency echo-sounder (Simrad EK-500 or EK-60) will be used to investigate the distribution
and abundance of krill and other prey species.

5(3) Cetacean Sighting Survey

The sighting surveys will be conducted to investigate the distribution, abundance and ice-habitat use of thewhales.
(4) Oceanographic Observation

CTD, XCTD and LADCP will be used to investigate the structure of water mass characteristics andcirculation features. Stratified samples of water will be collected to investigate the spatial distribution ofnutrient, chlorophyll a, phytoplankton and micro-zooplankton.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES

The horizontal/vertical distribution and abundance of prey species will be clarified and these could becompared with the results of whales sighting by R/V Kaiyo Maru and JARPA, as well as stomach contents
and fitness of whales investigated by JARPA in the same temporal/special scales. This will respond to therequest from IWC/SC at the JARPA Review in 1997.
The differences observed in distribution, migration pattern, nutrition condition of minke whales by sex andmaturation, which is one of the most crucial topics to have recently arisen through the surveys of JARPA,
will be analyzed by comparing the stomach contents of whales and their food environment.
The competition between whales, especially minke and hampback whales, will be investigated by joint
whale sighting surveys of JARPA and R/V Kaiyo Maru.
By comparing present survey data with past surveys by research vessels and the commercial fisheries data,
the influences of the long-term changes in environment, such as global warming, reduction of ice shelves andincrease of ultra-violet, on the whales and krill in these areas will be addressed.

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