One claim made by Japan to justify its research is that whales are in competition with humans for fish and thus have an adverse effect on commercial fisheries. Conservation groups don't buy that argument. Sperm whales, for example, feed mostly on deepwater squid, a species that is not consumed by humans, Papastaurou pointed out. If ever there was an animal not responsible for depleting food human food sources, it's the sperm whale. Many members of the conservation community argue that much of the scientific research could be conducted without harming the animals.
Japan wants to increase the number of whales it can harvest each year.
Scientific research and regulation of fish stocks are the country's rationale. Some 440 dead whales later I repeat that comment. There is no need to kill whales in order to research them. Adequate non-lethal means are available. The IWC has passed several resolutions criticizing Japan's scientific whaling with no apparent effect, Steuer said.