Whales hunt by Claudia Sonea

On Sunday Japan opened the whales hunt by sending its fleet to the Antarctic Ocean. However that only made the Western allies like States, Australia, Britain and New Zealand unhappy and concerned about the emotional damage it will raise. Japan in an attempt to justify claimed that the whale meat is a part of their culture and they have legal ground thanks to a global moratorium that allows "lethal research" on the giant mammals. During the five months mission they are due 950 whales. In Australia the matter split the camp between those who think drastic measures should be taken like the Labor Party (opposition) represented by foreign affairs spokesman Robert McClelland and sustaining that the navy should be sent to track the Japanese whalers and take video footage if it takes power. On the other side Prime Minister John Howard although disapproves the Japanese actions, think the main way of iron out differences is the diplomatically one. Nevertheless, Hideki Moronuki, the whaling chief at Japan's Fisheries Agency, not only that doubts Labor Party's threats, but also says that everything they do is in perfect harmony with the International Whaling Commission. US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack acknowledge the legal right the Japanese have, still they ask them to refrain because non-lethal research techniques are available. Greenpeace also protest against Japan's hunt and therefore a ship called Esperanza is trying to find the fleet to shoot footage, but Greenpeace activist Dave Walsh told AFP by satellite telephone from aboard the Esperanza in the Pacific Ocean that the whalers had turned off identification equipment, inducing the doubt that they have something to hide. On the other side, the more militant Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is planning to physically stop the hunting if they do not cease it until next month. Another problem is if indeed the humpback whales, protected under a 1966 worldwide moratorium after years of over hunting, are on the whalers list. Despite the fact that Moronuki said they are not, the doubt still persist. All the whales hunted will end up on dinner plates. Even though their actions are despicable, there is still the fact that Norway and Iceland openly defy a 1986 moratorium on commercial hunting of all whales and no one does anything to prevent it. Why are the situations different? Stay connected you might get your answer.

related story: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20071119/wl_asia_afp/japanwhaling;_ylt=AlrfNuS_2.zLM.f_Rcy2GnB34T0D

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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