Govt against Japan whale catching plan

Press, 26 December 1987, Page 4

Govt against Japan whale catching plan

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington The Government has joined the conservation movement in opposing Japanese plans to catch up to 300 Minke whales this summer. Japanese proposals have been criticised by Greenpeace internationally and by the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition here. Japan plans to catch the whales “for scientific purposes” which it is allowed under the moratorium on whaling agreed to by members of the International Whaling Commission. New Zealand was concerned about Japan’s proposal, said the Associate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Wilde. The Government was disturbed that Japan’s Minke whale expedition was going ahead. At the special meeting of the commission’s scientific committee last week that examined the Japan-

ese proposal, there had been a significant body of scientific opinion critical of the proposed research. She said the member \ commissioners of the commission had not had the chance to consider the scientific committee's report and New Zealand urged Japan to refrain from catching any whales until the commission had considered it. “I am most concerned that the issuing of scientific permits may be used by whaling nations as a method of circumventing the moratorium on commercial whaling,” Ms Wilde said. While in this case the number of whales Japan intended to catch was reduced from the original proposal, there were still serious doubts about the scientific validity of the programme. These doubts were shares by conservation groups, she said. Further report, page 6