Animal protection organization Humane Society International (HSI) has condemned a Japanese whale hunt, in which a total of 177 whales were killed.
Although whaling for commercial purposes is banned, Japan is defying the ban by claiming its hunt was done for scientific research.
Three ships took part in the trip on Japan’s North Pacific, having returned this week with the remains of 43 minke whales and 134 sei whales.
Commercial purposes
HSI has slammed the Japanese whale hunt – which has been prohibited by the International Whaling Commission since 1986.
The organization’s president, Kitty Block, said in a statement: “My heart sinks each time the Japanese fleet returns to port with these magnificent animals rendered into blocks of meat pre-packed for the super-markets.
“Japan continues to wrap its whaling activities in the disguise of science and uses extraordinary sophistry to try to confuse the global public.
“But make no mistake, this is about killing whales for commercial purposes, something clearly prohibited by international law.”
Block also clarified that despite Japan saying it’s researching sustainable catch, she believes that ‘the entire point is to kill more of these magnificent, protected creatures’.
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