Call for whale study in U.N. fishing plan

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Call for whale study in U.N. fishing plan

Japan hopes research will promote hunting because whales eat too much

 

ROME (Kyodo) The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization issued a

set of nonbinding action plans on fisheries drawn up by more than 110

countries, including a call for the agency to conduct a study on the impact

that whales' consumption of marine products has on global fisheries

resources.

The international action plans were adopted during the five-day 24th session

of the FAO Fisheries Committee that ended Friday, the Rome-based U.N. agency

said in a statement.

 

Masayuki Komatsu, counselor at the Fisheries Administration Department of

Japan's Fisheries Agency, presided over the meeting as the first Japanese

representative to chair the session.

 

The study is essentially a followup on a previous FAO decision, adopted by

the Fisheries Committee in February 1999, to promote " comprehensive

management " of fisheries resources by looking into the marine food chain.

The 1999 agreement, however, made no reference to whales.

 

Japan, which has pressed for a resumption of commercial whaling, has urged

the FAO to expand the scope of the study by including the impact of whales'

predatory habit on fisheries resources.

 

According to Japanese estimates, the annual global yield of fisheries is 90

million tons, while the amount of marine resources consumed by whales is

estimated at 440 million tons.

 

Whales' consumption of fishery resources is a large factor in diminishing

supplies, Japanese officials contend.

 

If the FAO study confirms the Japanese findings, Japan hopes the result

would support its argument to resume commercial whaling, which has been

opposed by environmental groups as well as countries where whale meat is not

traditionally consumed.

 

The action plans also highlighted strategies for dealing with illegal,

unregulated and unreported fishing by vessels flying flags of countries that

do not abide by international fisheries regulations.

 

The Japan Times: Mar. 4, 2001

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