THE INSTITUTE OF CETACEAN RESEARCH
4-5 TOYOMI-CHO, CHUO-KU, TOKYO 104-0055 JAPAN
PHONE: +81-3-3536-6521 FAX: +81-3536-6522

MEDIA RELEASE
22 November 2006

AUSTRALIA’S ANTI-SCIENCE STANCE TO WHALING ON SHOW AGAIN
Australia is again showing its inability to comprehend even the most basic requirements for ensuring
sustainable fisheries and is demonstrating its complete unwillingness to stop forcing its anti-whaling viewson others.
Japan’s research fleet headed to the Antarctic last week to conduct the second year of the 2nd phase
Whale Research Program in the Antarctic (JARPA II) conducted by the Institute of Cetacean Research.
“Last year, Australia provided much moral support towards the illegal activities of Greenpeace and Sea
Shepherd. Both groups harassed and dangerously interfered with our research, putting the lives of ourcrew and scientists at risk,” the Director-General, Dr Hiroshi Hatanaka said today.
“Senator Campbell feels Australia has some ownership over Antarctic waters and says it will explore all
options to prevent the research from going ahead, despite the fact that the research is perfectly legitimate
under the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, to which Australia itself has adhered.
This attitude is aimed at stopping science from showing some whale species, like other fishery resources,
are able to be utilised quite sustainably in the Antarctic. Our program looks for factors that will lead toincreased knowledge of Antarctic whale resources and help the IWC improve management, especially theregime for setting sustainable catch quotas.”“This year’s program will add to the results already reported to and admired by substantial numbers ofscientists at the IWC Scientific Committee each year. Also this is in part a response to calls by someparticipants at the IWC-SC that there is not enough science to justify a resumption of commercial whaling
while they reject a truly scientific program such as JARPA II without purely scientific reasoning.”
Dr Hatanaka added: “Australia justifies its anti-whaling viewpoint by saying there’s a lack of science andyet it opposes the gathering of scientific information. If he and his so-called scientific community weren’t
biased and coming from a position that hunting any whale is wrong, then Senator Campbell might open
his eyes a little – birthing and mortality rates can only be obtained through lethal research, and thechallenge is open for him to prove his non-lethal method can be as accurate as ours.”
Additionally, the number of whales taken in our research program is the smallest required to obtaining
statistically valid information. “I think Senator Campbell would have us believe that even just a dozen
whales for research would represent commercial numbers of whales and not science, but unfortunately
that’s not the case. He always makes such accusations without any scientific rationale.”
Dr Hatanaka also said, as he has repeatedly before, that he would welcome Australia to demonstrate how
non-lethal research would obtain information needed to improve the management of whale resources.
“Whales probably don’t need to be killed to obtain some information that Australia may want, but it doesn’t
help towards the best management regime including sustainable use.”“The world is realising that there is no need or reason to prevent sustainable commercial whaling in theAntarctic under IWC management procedures. We are seeing more nations at the IWC realise themoratorium is outdated and no longer necessary and this is a result of Japan’s research program in theAntarctic,” Dr Hatanaka said.
ENDS
For further information contact ICR spokespeople:
Glenn Inwood, +64 21 498 010
Gabriel Gomez +81 3 3536 8227