THE INSTITUTE OF CETACEAN RESEARCHTOYOMI SHINKO BLDG. 4-5 TOYOMI-CHO CHUO-KU TOKYO 104-0055 JAPAN

PHONE: +81-3-3536-6521
www.whalesci.org

FAX: +81-3-3536-6522
www.icrwhale.org

MEDIA RELEASE
1 March 2002

JAPAN NOT CATCHING ENDANGERED WHALESThe Director General of the Institute of Cetacean Research in Tokyo, Dr. Seiji Ohsumi, today
responded to criticism that Japan was sampling an endangered species of whale.
"The last commercial hunts of sei whales were in the mid-1970s at which point they were
estimated to be around 9000. More than 25 years since then numbers of the sei whale have grown
to approximately 30,000. Currently, they have the second highest biomass in the region, just shortof sperm whales," Dr. Ohsumi said. IWC rules (not the Government of Japan as claimed byGreenpeace) require that research proposals be kept confidential until the beginning of the Plenary
Meeting of the IWC, after they have been reviewed by its Scientific Committee. Contrary to theserules, the research proposal was leaked to the press by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
"Japan's plan to increase its whale research program is based on urgent scientific need to collectdata on the competition between whales and fisheries," said Dr. Ohsumi. "It is estimated thatwhales consume 3 to 5 times the amount of marine resources as are caught for humanconsumption, so our whale research is providing valuable information required for improving themanagement of all our marine resources.""Research on the role of whales in the ecosystem and in particular the consumption of fish bywhales is supported many international fisheries organizations including the United Nations' Foodand Agriculture Organization (FAO). Even the IWC adopted a resolution last year making thestudy of interactions between whales and fisheries a priority. Japan is simply doing what the IWC
said was a priority," Dr. Ohsumi said.
Over the past two years, a total of 140 minke whales, 93 Bryde's whales and 13 sperm whales
were sampled. The proposed program involves sampling of 150 minke whales, 50 Bryde's whales,
50 sei and 10 sperm whales each year.
"These species were chosen because they are abundant in the North Pacific and they are verylarge animals -this means they consume huge amounts of marine resources," he said. "Theplanned increase in the number of minke whales to be sampled is required so that inshore areas
where the competition between whales and fisheries is likely to be greatest can be sampled."
Calculations show that the effect of the research catches on the abundance of whales will benegligible. Even with these catches, the stocks will continue to increase," he added. "Based on thesuccess of the past research and increasingly strong support from international fisheriesorganizations, including FAO, for research to improve multi-species approaches to management,
Japan is convinced that its research effort should be increased."
For more information, contact Joji Morishita, Deputy Director of the Far Seas Fisheries Division ofJapan's Fisheries Agency.
Mr Morishita is at the Ascot Metropolitan Hotel, Auckland, New Zealand +64 9 300 8800 until 8pm
Friday 1 March. From Monday Contact Mr Morishita as Far Seas Fisheries Division, Fisheries Agency,
Tokyo +81-3-3502-2443