In the past 400 years, Japan has become the largest whaling country and whale-eating country in the world. Every year from September to March, more than 20,000 dolphins and whales are slaughtered. Controversy, condemnation, conflict and boycott, in the face of global anti-whaling boycott, Japanese officials have always insisted on brutally killing whales on the grounds that "whaling and eating whales are Japanese cultural and dietary traditions."
Japan has a history of more than 400 years of commercial whaling and is currently the largest whaling and whale-eating country in the world. The whale slaughter lasted from September to March of the following year. It is estimated that more than 20,000 dolphins and whales are slaughtered in Japan every year. The picture shows that on February 7, 2008, the Australian government released photos of Japanese ships whaling in the waters near Antarctica, and warned that these photos would be used as evidence against Japanese whaling activities.
Taiji-CHO is the most concentrated area for killing dolphins in Japan. Every autumn, thousands of dolphins gather here to feed. Once found, local fishermen will hunt by boat. For a long time, the local people have developed a special method to kill dolphins.
Fishermen first put the steel pipe into the sea and hit it, which frightened the dolphins and interfered with their sonar system, making them unable to distinguish their sight. Later, they drove the dolphins into a rock recess and blocked them with fishing nets. After staying overnight, the hunting began. Fishermen began to cut dolphins with long hooks, stabbed them with sharpened poles, and then pulled them onto the boat, cutting their throats so that they could not move.
Although dolphins and whales belong to the same species, international law only prohibits whaling, not killing dolphins. However, the Japanese not only killed dolphins, but also openly flouted the prohibition of whaling in international laws and regulations and killed other kinds of whales on a large scale.
1986, the international whaling commission completely banned commercial whaling, but allowed Japan and other countries to hunt whales for the purpose of "scientific research" and publicly sold whale meat in the market. Because the Japanese people like whale meat, the Japanese fishery department began to kill dolphins instead. It is reported that until 2006, the total number of whales in the world was more than 7,000, while the annual whaling volume in Japan was more than 3,000.
At present, commercial whaling is banned all over the world to restore the declining whale population, but whaling is still legal in the name of science and culture, which has become the most important reason for the increasing number of whaling in Japan year by year. The picture shows the Japanese port city of Hotan. The school organized a group of students to visit the whale slaughter and asked them to record the slaughter process in detail.
According to data from Greenpeace, in 2006, 69% of Japanese people opposed whaling, while only 5% of Japanese people ate whale meat. However, whale meat export has become an important pillar of Japanese whale meat industry.
Whale meat is made into various Japanese dishes and canned food. At the whaling base in Japan, the price of whale meat is much cheaper than that of local beef. Whale meat is recognized as delicious and can strengthen the body after eating.
In recent years, the number of Japanese who eat whale meat has gradually decreased, and the Japanese government has spared no effort to promote whale meat. At the same time, many groups recommend whale meat. The picture shows a high school girl eating a whale burger in a restaurant in Hakodate, Japan.
Although many countries in the world condemn Japan's commercial whaling, it has had little effect. The WWF report severely criticized Japan's so-called "scientific whaling" activities. Susan, head of the global biological project of the foundation, said: "The whaling project in Japan is commercial and political, not a real scientific research." The picture shows several scientists dissecting a killed dolphin at the opening ceremony of the National Museum of Natural History in Tokyo.
On May 3, 2065438, local time, the Australian government formally sued Japan in The Hague International Court of Justice to prevent Japan from whaling in Antarctic waters. This is the first time that Japan has been sued in an international court for whaling. In response, Japanese officials claimed that whaling is a part of Japanese culture and eating whale meat is also a Japanese dietary tradition. Some schools provide whale meat for students at lunch. The picture shows a man holding whale food made in Japan during a public demonstration against Australia's intervention in Japanese whaling in Tokyo, Japan.
Japanese whaling, the only commercial activity in the world, has been widely protested by Greenpeace all the year round. Among them, the "Ocean Guardian Association" has been taking extreme measures to carry out anti-whaling activities for decades, such as driving a ship into a whaling ship, interfering with the line of sight of the whaling ship with a laser transmitter, and destroying whaling equipment. In just 20 10 a year, the association had at least three conflicts with Japanese whaling ships.
On October 6th, local time 20 10/kloc-0, the Japanese whaling ship "Zhao Nan Maru" collided with the high-class speedboat "Adi-Gil" of the anti-whaling organization "sea shepherd conservation society" during the confrontation. The latter was smashed into two pieces and sank, and six protesters on board were rescued safely. It is said that this environmentally-friendly speedboat with a cost of about $654.38 +0.37 million has been scrapped.
Then, on September 6, 20 10, the Japanese sentenced two international anti-whaling activists in Greenpeace to 1 year imprisonment on suspicion of theft and illegal invasion. They stole a container from a whaling ship, but said it was to expose the illegal whaling of Japanese whaling ships. The picture shows Greenpeace volunteers protesting the sign on the streets of Manila, Philippines, on September 7, local time.
For whaling, Japanese officials have always ignored all kinds of protests and complaints on the grounds that "whaling and eating whales are Japanese cultural and dietary traditions." Today, with the continuous development of human beings and the worsening ecological environment, there is an unspeakable gap between traditional culture and economic interests and the future. The picture shows the staff playing with dolphins in an aquarium in Yokohama, Japan.
For whaling, Japanese officials have always ignored all kinds of protests and complaints on the grounds that "whaling and eating whales are Japanese cultural and dietary traditions." Today, with the continuous development of human beings and the worsening ecological environment, there is an unspeakable gap between traditional culture and economic interests and the future. The picture shows the staff playing with dolphins in an aquarium in Yokohama, Japan.
20 10 On June 25th, the annual meeting of the World Whaling Commission (IWC) was concluded in Adigard, Morocco, and the original international efforts to reach new whaling regulations ended in vain. This means that Japan can still kill 1500 whales every year under the pretext of "scientific whaling", including whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Japan pursues "commercial whaling" under the guise of "scientific whaling". In order to achieve its own commercial and political goals, Japan still has its own strong reasons to oppose international public opinion. From another perspective, these "reasons" are so fragile that they are even full of deception and lies.
Lie 1: Japan kills whales for scientific research.
Japanese whalers said that the number of whales is enough to withstand the current level of whaling. From a scientific point of view, it is not necessary to completely ban the killing of whales. Officials in charge of whaling in Japan's Fisheries Agency believe that the age and stomach contents of whales need to be killed to obtain detailed data.
A 40-foot humpback whale was entangled in the shrimp net of local fishermen.
Whalers said: many projects are prone to errors in water surface observation and need to hunt for detailed data.
Article 8 of the International Convention for the Control of Whaling allows member countries to decide their own quotas for scientific whaling, and should make full use of all parts of the whale's body. Apart from exerting diplomatic pressure, the international community has no tough measures to prevent Japan from unilaterally increasing the number of so-called "scientific research" whaling. Therefore, in the name of science, Japan claims to use the captured whales to study and monitor the recovery of the population. They claim that it is easy to make mistakes if the whale population survey is completed almost entirely by superficial observation. Officials in charge of whaling in the Japanese Fisheries Agency believe that detailed data can be obtained only by the age and stomach contents of whales killed.
Reality: information can also be obtained by non-invasive means, and it is not necessary to kill all whales.
A lot of research work can actually obtain information through some harmless means. Wang Ding, deputy director and researcher of the Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said: "With the method of non-invasive sampling, after shooting with a crossbow, a small piece of skin or fat can be removed because the arrow is hollow." Australian Environment Minister Peter Jareko said in a report that a scientific research activity of "Southern Ocean Cooperative Research Program" in March 20 10 proved that it was effective to collect all the data of whales, and the age, sex, food, reproductive status and genetic characteristics of whales could be known by projecting non-lethal biopsy detectors without killing them. In 2003, Scott Becker of the University of Auckland in New Zealand and Philip clapham of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in the United States found that out of more than 150 papers on Japanese scientific whaling plan, only one was published in an international journal and needed help in the evaluation of the International Whaling Commission.
Lie 2: Eating whales is the cultural tradition of Yamato people.
Why does Japan always run counter to the world trend in whaling and continue to kill whales in various forms? Xu Jingbo, a full-time researcher at the Center for Japanese Studies at Fudan University, believes that this is related to the Japanese diet history, unique understanding of whales and interest-driven.
On June 2, 2007, a Japanese fisherman's 10 meter long humpback whale was slaughtered.
Whalers say: killing whales has become a belief.
As the largest whaling country, Japan has been desperately defending whaling rights for decades. The biggest reason is that eating whale meat is a Japanese cultural tradition, which can be traced back to 4000 years ago. According to the introduction of the Japan Whaling Association, whaling activities appeared in Japan as early as12nd century, and group whaling began in Japan at the beginning of17th century. With the improvement of technology, whaling has gradually become popular in Japan. The Japan Whaling Association claims on its homepage that in Japanese history, people gained faith through whaling. Folk songs, dances, traditional crafts and many other whaling cultures have been passed down, which is a historical witness that the Japanese and whales have walked together.
Truth: Large-scale whaling began after World War II.
In fact, the Japanese have a long history of eating whale meat, but large-scale whaling began after World War II. In addition, according to the statistics of Asahi Shimbun, only 4% of Japanese eat whale meat regularly, 9% eat whale meat very occasionally, 53% never eat it, and 33% never eat it. The supply of whale meat in Japan increased from 1.700- 1.800 tons in 1990s to 5,500 tons in 2006, and the sales channels were limited to traditional whale meat restaurants. Japan Fisheries Agency and Japan Whale Research Institute even decided to set up a "whale food laboratory" contract company. Stephen Hirsch of Tokyo Central University said: In recent years, the Japanese government has invested about 5 million dollars every year to promote whale meat. In fact, the consumption habits and market of whale meat have gradually declined in recent years. A recent survey shows that only half of people in Japan have tasted whale meat, and most of them were a long time ago.
Lie 3: Whales are an important source of protein.
As an island country lacking in natural resources and unable to feed itself, Japan needs to maintain its advanced and skilled whaling technology, and also needs its citizens not to forget the habit of eating whale meat only by eating foreign beef. In short, whaling and whale eating are closely related to Japan's food security. When the international situation is tense and there is a food crisis in the world, Japan will need to kill whales to fill its stomach.
By 2006, more than 2,000 supermarkets selling whale meat in Japan had closed.
Whalers say: Whale meat is an indispensable source of protein.
In order to justify whaling, Japan also advertised that whale meat is an indispensable source of protein in Japanese life, and the safe and nutritious whale meat should not be less than the Japanese table. This can be traced back to World War II, when General douglas macarthur, the head of American troops in Japan, believed that whales were a cheap source of protein for a poor country, which effectively promoted the whaling industry in modern Japan. A whole generation of Japanese people used to put a whale in a lunch box when they were growing up, especially as a school meal, which provided an indispensable protein for the growth of Japanese children.
Reality: Milk contributes a lot to Japanese people's health.
Today, with protein becoming more and more abundant, Japanese people no longer need to rely on whale meat. After World War II, with the recovery of Japanese economy, the government began to vigorously develop the dairy industry and launched a "white revolution". 1954, Japan passed legislation to implement the plan of adding milk to students' nutritious lunch, that is, providing 200 ml of milk in students' lunch; In 1960s, the government put forward the slogan "A glass of milk makes a country strong". By the end of 1992, Japan's per capita milk consumption reached 68 kg, and the national physique was obviously improved.
Lie 4: Whale meat is delicious on the Japanese table.
Since eating whales has been around for so long, it shouldn't taste bad. A China media reporter once asked a Japanese friend, "Why do Japanese eat whales?" The simplest and most direct answer is: delicious, for no other reason. However, an American Time magazine reporter who attended the whale feast thought that whale meat was like "leftovers from a submarine".
Fresh whale meat in Tokyo market in February 2009.
Whalers say: whale meat is delicious, for no other reason.
In Japanese history, whale products are delicacies at grand banquets and festivals, and there are various ways to eat whales: whale sushi, whale sashimi, whale sandwich biscuits, canned whale meat, and whale Osaka noodles; So since eating whales has been around for so long, the taste should not be bad. A China media reporter once asked a Japanese friend, "Why do Japanese eat whales?" The simplest and most direct answer is: "delicious, for no other reason."
Fact: Whale meat is like leftovers from a submarine.
However, a reporter from Time magazine attended the annual whale-watching party held by the Japan Whaling Association in Tokyo's national legislature in June 2005. Whale restaurants all over Japan introduce their best whale menus to Japanese legislators and let each table take turns tasting them. After eating, he said, "Putting aside morality, I tell you that whales are not delicious." The whales in sushi and sashimi are greasy, tasteless to chew and full of blubber-a bit like salmon that has been kept for a long time. The only exception is whale noodles. "But I have to say that this bowl of noodles is more delicious because of noodles and spicy soup, not the whale itself." In short, this experience makes it difficult for Americans to understand that Japanese people regard whales as a kind of food. "It's really like leftovers from a submarine."
Lie 5: Whaling is humane.
Japanese whalers say that now they kill whales with "blasting harpoons", which is different from before and can make whales die instantly; A report from a whaling ship shows that it takes an average of 3 shots to kill a whale, with a maximum of 9 shots. A whale was killed and eventually bled to death. The blue sea was instantly dyed red, like a big dye vat.
In 2007, a Japanese whaling ship towed a whale in the waters near southern Japan. It looks dead, unable to breathe or move, but still conscious.
Whalers say: whales are killed instantly by exploding harpoons without pain.
A whaler said that they fired from the muzzle with a special harpoon filled with gunpowder, and the back of the harpoon was tied to the boat with a long rope. This harpoon is a blasting harpoon, which can kill whales instantly; Whales that did not die immediately were killed by their rifles, which did not bring great pain to whales.
Actual situation: The whale was hung upside down behind the boat and dragged alive in the water.
According to the estimation of the International Whaling Commission, the average death time of a whale after being stabbed is 14 minutes, and sometimes it can even drag on for several hours. After being hit by a harpoon, the whale will continue to struggle. Because the subcutaneous fat of whales is very thick, one shot often can't kill you, and then several shots will kill you. But according to the witness of Greenpeace members, these whales were hung upside down behind the boat and dragged to death alive. Whales are diving mammals. In the face of lethality enough to kill other animals, it can still continue to supply blood to the brain. It seems dead and can't move or breathe, but the whale is still conscious. After those whales that are still alive are towed to the boat, whalers will stab them again with ordinary harpoons or shoot them in the head nearby until they die. Whalers' reports at sea show that it takes an average of three shots to kill a whale with a rifle, with a maximum of nine shots. A whale was killed and eventually bled to death. The blue sea was instantly dyed red, like a big dye vat.
Lie 6: Kill whales to protect other fish.
The first reason for Japan is that whales eat a lot, and excessive protection may endanger the survival of other smaller fish, thus destroying the marine ecological balance; Second, the number of cetaceans is rising. However, they did not take into account the adjustment ability of the natural ecological balance system, and also ignored the impact of human activities on the ecological environment and species extinction. One-sided belief that whales will rob human food.
More and more human activities have invaded the ocean, affecting the survival of whales and other marine animals. As we can see from the above picture, not far from this whale is a drilling platform for people to exploit deep-sea oil.
Whalers say: endanger the survival of small fish and destroy marine ecology.
Japanese whalers believe that over-protection of whales may endanger the survival of other smaller fish, thus destroying the marine ecological balance; Second, the number of cetaceans is rising. Japan moved out some data, pointing out that the total number of minke whales caught in Japan has increased by nearly 10 times compared with the beginning of modern whaling, and most whale species have increased. On the other hand, Japan also stressed that the fishing amount in Japan's coastal areas has declined in recent years, while saury and squid are the prey of dolphins and whales, and whales prey on 300 million to 500 million tons of fish, which is three to six times the fishery consumption of the world population. If this trend continues, whales may even rob people of food and destroy the ecological balance.
Reality: Human activities are an important cause of species extinction.
Natural ecosystems have the ability of self-regulation, and will not lead to species extinction because whales prey on fish and shrimp. The automatic adjustment of the ecosystem will make these marine life in a harmonious and balanced state. The uncontrolled killing of whales in the past 200 years has directly led to the rapid decline of this huge marine life, and some of its species have even become extinct. At least five of the global 13 species of whales are on the verge of extinction, and Antarctic waters have been designated as whale reserves. However, in the whaling activities in some countries, whales that are already in an endangered state can still be seen being killed. In addition, the marine ecological deterioration caused by human activities such as ship collision, heavy oil pollution, natural gas in the sea area where whales feed, petroleum engineering, etc. , threatening the survival of whales and overfishing. Due to human activities and climate change, the fragile ecosystem of the earth has become extremely sensitive, and the biological species on the earth are dying at a rate equivalent to the normal level 1000 times. The plight of whales is just one of them.
The history of human whaling goes back to ancient times, but the uncontrolled hunting in countries like Japan has directly led to a sharp decline in the number of whales, an elegant animal with the reputation of "marine apes". Humpback whales and minke whales are on the verge of extinction, while five of the global 13 species of whales are in an endangered state, so IWC has designated the Antarctic waters as whale reserves. However, the collision of interests, traditional restraint, and even the interweaving of political games and national ambitions make the anti-whaling action difficult. But no matter how severe the challenge is, mankind has only one choice, and that is to face it bravely and give up boldly. As a senior being on the earth, man not only has the right to dominate and occupy the earth, but also has the responsibility.
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