paulaorcas
02-16-2008, 05:28 PM
Accidental Whaling *National Geographic*
If you're a fisherman in South Korea's part of the sea of Japan and a minke whale is trapped in your net and dies, you can sell the meat legally if you tell the gov. about the bycatch. From 1999 to 2003, fishermen reported 458 whales. To check those numbers, researchers bought whale meat at South Korean markets several times over the same period and used genetic analysis to see how many whales the meat came from. They estimated that more than 800 minke whales hit the market. Since one whale can bring up to $100,000, scientists suspect not all the deaths are accidental. "Is this just another form of commercial whaling?" asks Scott Baker, the Oregon State University biologist who led the study. "If so, it needs to be regulated." Otherwise the minkes of the Sea of Japan could soon be gone. -Helen Fields,National Geographic.
*Ban In 1986, the International Whaling Commission put a ban on commercial whaling. Some nations defy it.
*Loophole The ban allows "scientific whaling." In Japan, the meat ends up in markets.
*Victim Hunting caused larger whales to decline. Now minkes, 30 feet long, are the target.
Link to article about whaling:
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/save_whales_not_whaling/learn_more/
If you're a fisherman in South Korea's part of the sea of Japan and a minke whale is trapped in your net and dies, you can sell the meat legally if you tell the gov. about the bycatch. From 1999 to 2003, fishermen reported 458 whales. To check those numbers, researchers bought whale meat at South Korean markets several times over the same period and used genetic analysis to see how many whales the meat came from. They estimated that more than 800 minke whales hit the market. Since one whale can bring up to $100,000, scientists suspect not all the deaths are accidental. "Is this just another form of commercial whaling?" asks Scott Baker, the Oregon State University biologist who led the study. "If so, it needs to be regulated." Otherwise the minkes of the Sea of Japan could soon be gone. -Helen Fields,National Geographic.
*Ban In 1986, the International Whaling Commission put a ban on commercial whaling. Some nations defy it.
*Loophole The ban allows "scientific whaling." In Japan, the meat ends up in markets.
*Victim Hunting caused larger whales to decline. Now minkes, 30 feet long, are the target.
Link to article about whaling:
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/save_whales_not_whaling/learn_more/