Why has Japan been banned from Antarctic Whaling?

[Aractus]

Recently Japan has been banned from their annual Antarctic whaling catch - and I want to know: why? Can anyone give me a good reason to ban Japan from whaling Minke Whales?

We still catch Southern Bluefin Tuna, a species that is Critically Endangered, yet we're telling Japan to stop hunting Minke Whales, a species of least conservation concern? What's wrong with Japan hunting a sustainable number of whales per year?

I'll tell you why they've been banned. It's really only one single thing that causes them to be banned - because they hunt the whales in international waters. If they could find enough Minke Whales to hunt in their own territorial waters no one would stop them, and besides terrorist groups like Sea Sheppard, no one would care.

But they hunt in international waters where they can, as we do, hunt a quota of critically endangered southern bluefin tuna, but they can't hunt a sustainable quota of non-endangered whales. It blows the mind, another win for the UN?? The insanity can be compared to the EU's ban on seal products.

Put the environment FIRST!

[John V]

When you can get bluefin tuna to jump through a hoop at Sea World, they'll be better taken care of too. People are more emotional than rational.

[Autumnlicious]

Because:

A) their use of the scientific whaling provision has been found to be fraudulent

B) a significant body of whale meat claimed for human consumption is used as dog treats, further damaging credibility of the guise of "preserving human cultural traditions"

C) they don't always catch minke whales but other endangered species of whale

Japan is a signatory of the IWC agreements that gives a small but wide spanning set of conditions to do hunting under. They chose to abuse one of those conditions.

How is this hard to grasp? The letter of the law is being enforced.

I wouldn't mind better environmental protections that are more comprehensive.

[Confused Ape]

There are campaigns to save the Bluefin Tuna. Here's one of them.

Legal Petition Seeks Ban on Pacific Bluefin Tuna Fishing
by Center for Biological Diversity
Wednesday Apr 9th, 2014 12:06 PM

[downbeatplumb]

I would ban the Japan drift net fleets as well but I suppose people have to pick their fights

[popeyespappy]

When you can get bluefin tuna to jump through a hoop at Sea World, they'll be better taken care of too. People are more emotional than rational.

I’d set sustainable quotas on Australians international waters too, but people would get emotional about that…

[Confused Ape]

I would ban the Japan drift net fleets as well but I suppose people have to pick their fights

Operation aims to chase the last drift nets out of the North Pacific

Activist Group Black Fish Using Drones to Defend the Ocean from Driftnets

[Anomalocaris]

Recently Japan has been banned from their annual Antarctic whaling catch - and I want to know: why? Can anyone give me a good reason to ban Japan from whaling

Yes. Because one should not be allowed to flaunt even bad laws.

[Silver]

Put the environment FIRST!

Yes, we should.

[Confused Ape]

I’d set sustainable quotas on Australians international waters too, but people would get emotional about that…

WWA - Bluefin Tuna

There are three species of bluefin: Atlantic (the largest and most endangered), Pacific, and Southern. Most catches of the Atlantic bluefin tuna are taken from the Mediterranean Sea, which is the most important bluefin tuna fishery in the world.

Lack of knowledge about the biology and migratory behavior of Atlantic bluefin has hindered successful fishery management plans.

PIRATE FISHING
Illegal fishing of Atlantic bluefin is a big problem and the fishery has been plagued by lack of enforcement and control.

and

Bluefin tuna populations have declined severely from overfishing and illegal fishing over the past few decades –not just Atlantic bluefin tuna, but also Pacific bluefin tuna and Southern bluefin tuna. Population declines have been largely driven by the demand for this fish in high end sushi markets.

So, what is a sustainable quota for an endangered species under these circumstances?