Taiji, Japan, and the Global Community

The world was shocked and saddened by the earthquake, tsunami, and the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan. Many people in Japan are bravely suffering through what is probably the most traumatic experience of their lives.

People ask me if the current situation in Japan will impact my activist activities. It might change the strategy, but not the goals and objectives. I will continue to oppose anyone from any country who kills whales or dolphins. The current situation in Japan does not grant them any latitude.

The whaling industry is having serious financial problems and it is unlikely it will receive a cash injection when there are so many cities and towns that need to be rebuilt. And what about Taiji?  There is no question that Taiji continues to be a public relations disaster. The actions of a few have tarnished the reputation of the nation and this has impacted the willingness of some to donate to Japanese relief agencies, but fortunately individuals as well as nations have joined in the effort. They made this choice because it was the right thing to do.

We share the same values of family and community as do the citizens of Japan. But what about the issues where we differ?  Japan views whales and dolphins as resources that can be harvested, bought, sold, and eaten. This separates the Japanese from those who are trying to help this nation in crisis.

What is to become of this divide?  Will the current crisis in Japan widened the gap or will it bring us closer together? I hope Japan will join the rest of the world; a world with an appreciation for biodiversity and a world of global citizens who are intrinsically linked by the oceans we share and protect.

In my blog, “New Year’s Predictions for Taiji”, I wrote “Eventually Japan will have no choice but to stop issuing permits to kill small cetaceans. The international opposition to the dolphin slaughter in Taiji continues to grow and Japan cannot financially afford to isolate itself from the world by legally permitting acts that are considered criminal is most other countries.”   I stand by my prediction.

The countries who kill whales and dolphins are Japan, Iceland, Norway, and the Faeroe Islands of Denmark so that means the vast majority of the countries in the world oppose Japan’s commercial whaling activities and the dolphin slaughter, but in response to our complaints, they call us racists.  Will it now be harder for Japan to play the “racist card”? Are all those people from all around the world who are donating money to help rebuild Japan “racists”?  This defense was always pathetic, but now it will also be insulting.   

For the Oceans,

Janice

Slaughters in Taiji, Japan and Newfoundland, Canada are Similar

Today Canada’s Minister of Fisheries, Gail Shea, announced plans to sell seal products to China. The sealing industry in Canada has been crippled by the EU ban on the import of seal products, but today’s announcement could renew the wide scale slaughter of seals off the coast of Newfoundland and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Taiji, Japan, and the Province of Newfoundland have some frightening similarities. Both kill a marine species, despite enormous international pressure to end the slaughters. 

The North Atlantic cod fishery was mismanaged and overfishing destroyed the cod stocks, but government officials often blame the seals for the collapse of the cod fishery.  The dolphin killers in Taiji believe they are performing a public service by killing dolphins because dolphins are a pest. There is no scientific evidence that any appreciable decline of fish stocks can be attributed to seals or dolphins, but who needs science when people believe anything they are told by their government.

Japan maintains there are plenty of dolphins and Canada claims to have too many seals.  Japan issues permits to kill dolphins based on out-dated population surveys and Canada fails to report or acknowledge that thousands of baby seals drown because there is not enough ice to serve as a birthing ground and nursery.  As climate change worsens, the lack of ice is certain to threaten the seals' survival.

Canada and Japan justify their barbaric acts with the excuse that it is their tradition. Many crimes against humanity and the environment have been committed in the name of tradition, but people in civilized societies move forward and don’t cling to destructive and unethical practices.

Politicians in both countries don’t seem to care that a single industry, if we can call it that, damages the reputation of their country.  In both nations, a very small number of people benefit financially, but citizens are reluctant to express their opposition.  Most Japanese do not eat whale meat and very few have ever eaten dolphin, but it would be considered unpatriotic for Japanese citizens to speak out against the dolphin slaughter.  I don’t personally know anyone who has eaten seal meat, but Canadians, especially those living on the east coast, are reluctant to voice their objection to the seal hunt.  

When I was in Taiji, we exercised caution because there was concern for our safety, but to my knowledge, the killers of Taiji have not injured any activists or damaged property. The police and coast guard have worked hard to keep the peace in Taiji and to ensure the safety of the activists.  In Canada, there have been occasions when the coast guard and police have behaved as if they were the sealers’ private security force and they stood by while property was destroyed and people were injured. Taiji comes out ahead when we compare the relative performance of the police and coast guard.

While Canadian farmers struggle to survive, fisherman, especially the sealers, are heavily subsidized. I do not know if the dolphin slaughter in Taiji is government funded, but the tax payers of Japan fund the whale poachers in the Southern Ocean as they target protected Minke whales, endangered fin whales, and highly endangered humpback whales in an internationally recognized whale sanctuary, in violation of the moratorium on commercial whaling, and in contempt of the Antarctic Treaty.

When I speak with Canadians about the dolphin slaughter in Taiji, they are horrified, but sadly, Canada has a shameful record and it would appear Fisheries Minister Gail Shea plans to match the disgraceful history with an equally appalling future.

For the Oceans,

Janice