Whaling Today is updated several times a month with articles and essays from cetacean scientists, whaling experts, and other opinion leaders from Japan and around the world. Check this page for the latest content.
IWC69 Report: Has the International Whaling Commission become a Zombie?
[SPONSORED] Dr Joji Morishita, Japan’s non-member observer to the IWC, discusses IWC69 and prospects for the whaling commission’s future in a 5-part series.
Fisheries and Food Security in Japan’s Rich Waters
[SPONSORED] Achieving sustainable use requires more food self-sufficiency, using diverse local fisheries and whale resources.
Getting to Food Security with More Variety in Food Sources
[SPONSORED] It is “reckless and dangerous” to global food security that 90% of humanity’s food supply is supported by only 23 foodstuffs.
Whales in the Context of Food Security
[SPONSORED] Diversifying local food sources, including whales, would help broaden the recklessly narrowed food basket of 23 species.
[Food Trek] Kochi Celebrates its Whale Cuisine and 400 Years of Whaling
Visit Cape Muroto in Kochi and learn more about living with whales at the museum, then sample delicious local whale cuisine at friendly local restaurants.
Endangered Gray Whale Bones Unearthed as Students and Researchers Take On Super Science Project
Japanese students learn about the ocean in a project helping university researchers to recover the bones of an endangered gray whale in Chiba that died in 2016.
[Food Trek] Hakodate, Where Whale Soup is a New Year’s Dish and Every Household has its Own Recipe
“It is important not to lose our food culture” says Professor Takashi Matsuishi, adding that whale should be used “sustainably based on scientific evidence.”
IWC68: ‘Sustainable Use’ is the Next Challenge (Part 4 of 4)
After IWC68, the institution must adapt to include member countries deeply divided in their views toward living marine resources and values of sustainable use.
IWC68: New Contested Issues Emerging from the South (Part 3 of 4)
Overall, in IWC68 the process intended to produce fairness under Western standards was incapable of meeting the needs of developing countries.
IWC68: An International Whaling Commission in Crisis (Part 2 of 4)
The IWC68 financial crisis highlights the IWC’s reduced priority for scientific decision making and raises concerns among pro-sustainable use nations.
IWC68: Reflections on the Future of the International Whaling Commission (Part 1 of 4)
The resumption of commercial whaling was not Japan’s only policy goal at IWC68. Another policy goal was to uphold and promote the principle of sustainable use.
NAMMCO at 30: A Global Showcase of Marine Mammal Delicacies (Part 3 of 3)
The oceans cover 70% of the planet and NAMMCO provides an essential forum for unrestricted discussion of the interrelationship between humans and marine mammals.
NAMMCO At 30: Marine Mammals in Cultural Traditions and Identity (Part 2 of 3)
“Eating marine mammals is our national identity,” said the participants from Greenland. Their unity of viewpoint impressed this first-time participant.
NAMMCO at 30: Supporting Discussions on the Sustainable Use of Marine Mammals (Part 1 of 3)
Lessons in sustainability at NAMMCO showed why the whaling issue is not easily tidied away by declaring whether one is “for” or “against” hunting the animals.