C HILE · 25 JUNE 2008 · V OLUME LX · N O .3 In this issue ... ➢Stewed Toxins ➢Martian Whales? ➢Arnold and Michelle ➢Coastal EInternational WhalingCO Commission Annual Meeting Pinochet Regime and ’s Outlaw Whalers named Maruha—sought to export one of its surplus whale catcher boats The secret massacre of Chile’s fleets. From 1968 to 1975, as to Macaya. But the Japanese endangered whales by Japanese many as 352 whales were harpooned government, already stung by IWC whalers in the 1960s, documented in each year, mainly sperm and sei criticism of such flagrant support of Monday’s ECO, continued openly in whales, outside of any regulation, outlaw whaling, blocked the export the 1970s under the dictatorial rule of because Chile refused to join the permit for the ship. Gen. Augusto Pinochet. International Whaling Commission. Undaunted, Taiyo concocted A modern factory/catcher ship The meat and oil was exported to another, more successful scheme to supplied by a Japanese whaling Japan. expand unregulated whaling in Chile. company was sent to Chile in 1977 to But by 1976 only one boat was A Taiyo subsidiary, a marine supply vastly expand an existing Chilean operable, taking just 77 whales. company named Taito Seiko Co., whaling operation, Macaya Japan’s giant Taiyo Fishery Co., which purchased a modern stern trawler, the Hermanos. ran pirate whaling ships worldwide in Orient Maru No. 2, from Tokushima The Macaya shore station, based addition to its Japan-flagged fleets, Suisan Co. The ship had been a in the port of Chome on the central announced a joint venture with Japanese pollock trawler in the coast, was launched with three old Macaya to expand the Chilean Bering Sea until it was made surplus catcher boats acquired from Antarctic whaling operation. Taiyo—today Continued on page two

Some Barbed Questions from Dr. Sidney Holt Regardless of publicized threats, Japan is most unlikely to leave the Does Japan really want reasons for Japan not really wanting IWC while it continues whaling. commercial whaling legitimized? Article V whaling to resume. If it did What could it gain by such a move? And will it really abandon the it would surely be regulated under the It would effectively join the ranks of IWC if it does not get its way? Revised Management Procedure pirate whalers in direct conflict with Does the Japan Fisheries Agency (RMP). The basic requirement of the the UN Convention on the Law of really want Schedule paragraph 10(e) RMP is the existence of agreed the Sea and the UN environment (the “moratorium”) modified to allow estimates of whale population conferences in Rio and Johannesburg. some commercial whaling under numbers and of their statistical What would be the point of upping Article V of the International confidence limits. After two decades the diplomatic and legal stakes in Convention for the Regulation of of intensive sightings surveys, the that way? Japan’s Alternate Whaling 1946? I think not; whaling Scientific Committee still does not Commissioner has written “we’ll set under Article VIII (Special Permits) have any agreed estimates of the up a new international organization.” is far more convenient and profitable. numbers of Southern Hemisphere But the Antarctic is where the Not only are catches determined minke whales (contrary to what the whales and future profits reside, and unilaterally, but no other IWC government of Japan claims). And CCAMLR exists and is active. Set up regulations pertain: submission of the Committee is nowhere near another, competitor with CCAMLR? data, minimum sizes, prohibition of estimating the numbers of fin whales Bend CCAMLR (of which Japan is a killing nursing mothers and calves, now feeding in the Antarctic—and Member) to Japan’s will? Most honouring sanctuaries and season that is the species/stock on which the unlikely! opening and closing dates. Why profitability of any resumed Article V No, Japan will stay in the IWC would they give up those freedoms? whaling depends in the medium and so long as the organization exists. But there are other cogent long-term. 25 June 2008 · Chile ECO Page 2

Guess Who’s Eating the Fish? estimated that less than one percent of commercial fishing stocks involve For years, the politically powerful and the fish catch is funneled into just a any interactions with ANY marine conservative Japan Fisheries Agency few developed nations. Poorer mammals. Indeed, immensely large has pushed the myth that whales are nations suffer from competition and stocks of whales coexisted for responsible for the decline of fish loss of their own as well as centuries with much larger stocks of stocks around the world. The the decline in local fishing jobs. The fish around the world. Only with the reasoning goes: We need to kill the nation with one of the biggest advent of industrialized fishing whales so we will have fish to kill. appetites for fish is Japan itself. methods in the past 50 years (mostly But guess who’s really eating all “Blaming whales is an issue that after the period of greatest the fish? If you guessed Japan and is not only false—whales are no more industrialized whale slaughter had other developed nations in Europe responsible (for the global decline in alarmingly reduced cetacean and the US, you would indeed get a fish stocks) than the Martians—but numbers) have fish stocks begun big prize. (But probably not from the which prevents the very small serious declines. Japan Fisheries Agency.) resources of West African countries Remi Parmentier, Senior Policy A number of noted fisheries from being devoted to understanding Advisor for the Pew Environment scientists have proven for years that the real reasons why their fisheries are Group’s Whale Project, said Japan has the decline of commercial fish stocks declining,” stated Dr. , been raising the issue “to scare and around the world has been caused by director of the University of British recruit countries into supporting its the rapacious catch of fish by many Columbia Fisheries Centre. move to end the (whaling) fishing nations—but the vast bulk of Dr. Pauly and others have moratorium.”

Pinochet, contined from page one Indeed, the Orient Maru No. 2 years. Shortly after the ship arrived, a when the U.S. imposed its 200-mile was renamed the Paulmy Star No. 3 Chilean newspaper reported: “With fishing limit. and registered under the Panamanian the arrival of the new whaling ship, Taito Seiko then sold the ship to flag as a “camaronero,” a shrimp boat. which can remain at sea for long the Paulmy Co. of Liberia, a Taiyo It left Japan in April 1977, but never periods and which offers lower dummy corporation designed to hide got within 3,000 miles of Panama. maintenance costs, the Macaya the identity of the owner. Taito Seiko Instead, the Paulmy Star No. 3 Brothers’ firm hopes to extend the filed an export document with the headed south to Tahiti’s port of whaling season to 10 or 11 months— Japanese government stating, “The Papeete, a scene of intrigue since the the last season lasted only six purpose of such procurement is its use days of Captain Bligh and the mutiny months—thus increasing the number for shrimp trawling off the coasts of on the Bounty. of animals caught and maintaining Panama.” When the 150-foot, 350-ton constant activity at its whaling Paulmy Star sailed away from Tahiti station in Chome, south of San on June 30th for Chile, it carried a Vincente.” massive harpoon gun on its bow. When Chilean conservationists ECO As one Chilean conservationist raised an outcry over the granting of ECO is published by Earth Island observed when the ship arrived in the whaling permit and the heavy Institute’s International Marine Chome: “A harpoon gun is not Japanese interests in the operation, Mammal Project at the 60th meeting famous as a productive weapon the Pinochet junta blocked their of the International Whaling against shrimp.” The stern slipway move to forbid the export of whale Commission in Santiago, Chile, on had been widened and a huge winch products. behalf of environmental and animal installed to permit the largest of The factory/catcher boat roamed welfare organizations around the whale carcasses—even blue whales— the long Chilean coast harpooning globe. to be hauled aboard the Paulmy Star dozens of whales each month without For further information: Mark J. for slaughter. any regulation. Endangered blue, Palmer, Associate Director, Earth Before the Paulmy Star arrived in right and humpback whales were Island Institute, International Marine Chile, Taiyo Fishery Co. had killed, as well as fin and sei whales; Mammal Project, Hotel Atton Las persuaded the Pinochet military junta the carcasses were butchered Condes, Santiago, Chile: 011-562 to grant Macaya Hermanos a permit onboard. Nobody knows the extent of 4227902 or [email protected]. to kill 500 whales a year for three Concluded on page three 25 June 2008 · Chile ECO Page 3

Japan’s Institutional Contradictions immediately slams a door in the face of the other countries at the IWC: The Japanese Institute for Inwood, states: “I think it is not “The whale sanctuary in the Cetacean Research, which is running helpful that they (Australia’s Atlantic won’t fly,” Mr. Inwood Japan’s so-called “scientific” slaughter delegation) come to this meeting pronounces. of whales in the Antarctic and the with fresh demands when every other “They will bring it up at the North Pacific, has taken a swing at country is making an eleventh-hour meeting, but they won’t take it to a Australia for that country’s refusal to attempt to broker a deal that will vote. They will see there is too much compromise. ensure the future of the commission.” opposition.” But in the same breath, the ICR (ECO would like to point out When most countries representative (we call them “PR that it is much more likely that the compromise, we say that there is flaks” in the US) is flatly refusing any Commission will have a future if the “give and take.” Southern Oceans Sanctuary for Commission keeps a few whales Of course, the Japanese whaling whales. around, but we digress.) industry and their government The Australian Herald Sun But once Mr. Inwood has puppets just take, and take, and reports that said PR flak, Glenn finished preaching compromise, he take ...

Pinochet, concluded from page two insisted that the Japanese whalers 1982 when environmentalists and the the three-year slaughter because no owned the Paulmy Star and directed United States launched a major records were reported to the IWC or its entire operation. campaign to put them out of business. ’s Bureau of International The Paulmy Star was one of many The U.S. threatened economic Whaling Statistics. Hundred-ton pirate whaling ships operated by sanctions against non-IWC nations shipments of were Taiyo Fishery Co. in every ocean. such as Chile, which promptly joined regularly sent by refrigerator ship to These included the infamous Sierra the IWC and had zero whale quotas Japan, where none of the imports and Tonna, which pillaged whales in imposed. The Sierra was rammed along the Portuguese coast, then later sunk by a limpet mine in Lisbon harbor. The Tonna capsized during a storm while it was attempting to winch a giant onboard. Chile’s new President, Michelle were reported in customs statistics. the Atlantic for more than a decade, Bachelet, yesterday signed into law a In fact, the Paulmy Star was a and the Susan, Teresa and Cape Fisher, ban on all whaling and the creation true pirate ship, whaling outside which roamed the Indian and of a whale sanctuary in Chile’s EEZ. Chilean oversight and defying all Atlantic Oceans, and the Taiwan- ECO salutes President Bachelet, her international regulation. While the based Sea Bird, also operated by the government, and the people of Chile ship was ostensibly being leased to Paulmy Co. of Panama, which for their forward-thinking efforts to Macaya Hermanos by Paulmy Co. of depleted humpback and Bryde’s whale protect whales and their ocean Panama, the reality is that it was stocks in the Western Pacific. heritage, for Chileans and for all operated totally separately from The Paulmy Star and the other peoples. Macaya by a Taiyo employee, Hiroshi pirate ships were forced to end their Otsuka. Chilean officials privately bloody slaughter between 1978 and 25 June 2008 · Chile ECO Page 4

Chile-California Bilateral Agreements summer, and fall. Universities in California have Chilean President Michelle Whale-watching was launched in been educating Chilean scientists and Bachelet and California Governor California in the 1960s and is now a agricultural specialists for decades. Arnold Schwarzenegger met at the worldwide phenomenon generating This training has been crucial to the University of California at Davis on billions of dollars annually on every booming Chilean agricultural June 12th to sign bilateral scientific, continent. Chile has a rapidly- economy and for the conservation of agriculture, and education agreements developing whale-watching industry Chile’s marine resources such as fish between the two Pacific coast states. along its 2,700-mile coast, especially and whales. Whale-watching and marine mammal since more than 200 blue whales have U.S. conservation groups and the studies are important industries in arrived in recent years. California’s California whale-watching industry both places. whale-watching industry has bases in are pledging to lend their expertise to The two most dynamic dozens of coastal communities Chile’s growing tourism industry. economies in South and North stretching nearly 1,000 miles from They are encouraging “The America have been developing strong San Diego to Eureka, focused on gray Governator” to visit President ties in recent decades because of their whales during the winter and spring Bachelet later this year to help similar geography and climate—but months, and feeding humpback and promote Chile’s new nationwide opposite growing and tourist seasons. blue whales during the spring, whale sanctuary. A Bit of History from Dr. Sidney Holt noises but did not press very hard on this matter. Japan then, as now, Correspondents have written to investments had been made in several repeatedly threatened to leave the say I am too pessimistic in writing new Antarctic expeditions and that IWC. It was the first delegation, on that if Japanese interests decide to catches had to be big enough to every occasion, to lodge objections to invest in a new, bigger factory ship, justify those, financially.The each voted catch reduction, following “we can all give up on the idea of which the other “pelagic” countries commercial pelagic whaling necessarily followed suit. ending in less than, say twenty years.” Perhaps. In 1960 the IWC decided , with only in principle to one expedition, made the same This practice—resistance to reduce the Antarctic complaint, understandably, because a conservation, objections and whale catch limit catch limit reduction meant they threats—continued through the to sustainable levels, would be out of business—which they 1970s. Has Japan, the wayward beginning in 1964, although Japan soon were. The USSR made similar leopard, changed its business spots? objected to that decision. (As it later objected to the 1974 decision to institute a new Management Toxic Stew for You and Me Procedure, in the wake of the UN Resolution calling for a ten-year Whales are showing severe signs consumed whale and dolphin meat, moratorium on commercial whaling.) around the globe of toxic including research by the Elsa Nature In 1962 the scientists said such contamination from a variety of Conservancy of Japan, Blue Voice, reduction was extremely urgent, more pollutants. Like these mammals of the and the Environmental Investigation so than had been thought. From sea, we mammals of the land are Agency. 1963, Japan opposed all proposals for taking on toxic loads ourselves. There will be a press conference reduction, and the Commission’s There are several important on this subject at 1 PM today in the Verbatim Records reveal that the studies around the IWC meeting media room on the first floor of the reason repeatedly given was that big about toxic contamination of human- Sheraton Hotel.