Japan resumes commercial whaling for first time in 30 years

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian and agencies

Japan resumes commercial whaling for first time in 30 years

Hunters set sail after country’s withdrawal from International Whaling Commission

Justin McCurry in Osaka and agencies
Mon 1 Jul 2019 01.52 BST Last modified on Mon 1 Jul 2019 14.23 BST

Japanese fishermen have set sail to hunt whales commercially for the first time in more than three decades after Tokyo’s controversial decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission.

Five vessels, their harpoons concealed beneath tarpaulins, left Kushiro in northern Japan on Monday morning. At around the same time, three whaling boats left Shimonoseki in south-western Japan.

The first whales were brought ashore hours later: two grey minke whales. One of the animals, more than eight metres long, was hoisted from a ship onto a truck and driven to a warehouse where whalers lined up to pour ceremonial cups of sake over its body – a ritual to purify and celebrate the catch.

“Today is the best day,” said Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-Type Whaling Association. “It was worth waiting for 31 years.”

The five Kushiro vessels will together kill 227 whales through to late December, according to the fisheries agency, which had delayed announcing the quota until the conclusion of the G20 summit in Osaka on Saturday. The quota includes 52 minke, 150 Bryde’s and 25 sei whales, the agency said.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/01/japan-resumes-commercial-whaling-for-first-time-in-30-years

[Vogon_Glory]

1. The unspeakable hunting the inedible n/t