C HILE · 25 JUNE 2008 · V OLUME LX · N O .3 In this issue ... ➢Stewed Toxins ➢Martian Whales? ➢Arnold and Michelle ➢Coastal Whalers EInternational WhalingCO Commission Annual Meeting Pinochet Regime and Japan’s Outlaw Whalers named Maruha—sought to export one of its surplus whale catcher boats The secret massacre of Chile’s whaling 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 fish stocks 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. Daniel Pauly, 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.