Japan Ship Returns Home With 508 Whales
Pastor Dale Morgan
Japan Ship Returns Home With 508 Whales*
By HANS GREIMEL
The Associated Press
Friday, March 23, 2007; 11:17 AM
TOKYO -- A Japanese whaling ship returned to port from Antarctica Friday
with a catch of 508 whales, despite having its annual hunt cut short by
a deadly fire.
The Nisshin Maru's hunt had triggered a high-seas showdown with
environmental groups even before the fire, and Greenpeace issued a fresh
condemnation of Japan's whaling program, calling for the damaged ship to
be retired.
Tokyo says its whaling provides crucial data for the International
Whaling Commission on populations and feeding habits of whales in
Antarctic seas.
The hunts are allowed by the commission, but environmental groups have
long condemned the hunts as a pretext for keeping alive commercial
whaling, which was banned in 1986.
The Nisshin Maru, with the word "RESEARCH" emblazoned just above the
waterline, slipped into port flanked by about 10 patrol boats for security.
Journalists were being barred from the Tokyo wharf where the processing
ship docked with its crew of 149. Japan's fisheries agency said it was
investigating last month's fire and would hold a news conference next week.
The hunt off Antarctica had been scheduled to continue through the end
of March. It was the first time in 20 years that Japan had to abort a
whaling mission.
The six-vessel fleet managed to kill 508 whales out of a target of 860.
The meat will be sold for human consumption.
Infuriated by the whaling, protesters aboard a ship operated by the
environmental group Sea Shepherd had launched smoke canisters, tossed
containers filled with chemicals and dropped ropes and nets to entangle
the Japanese ships' propellors, Japanese video showed.
The protests have not been linked to the fire, which sent the ship
drifting powerless for 10 days, raising concerns about potential oil and
chemical spills.
The Nisshin Maru is the second ship in the whaling fleet to come home.
Three more spotter ships are scheduled to return Saturday and the final
vessel is to come home Sunday.