Scientists Depart from New Zealand on Six-Week Whale Research Expedition
Last week it was reported that a group of researchers intended to investigate the Japanese whaling in the Antarctic seas. In particular, they wanted to see if the whales could be studied without killing them; which could be viewed as a challenge to Japan, since they claim they have to hunt and kill hundreds of whales per year, all for the sake of “scientific research”.
photo by gwoodford (image source: Flickr)
The researchers deployed from Wellington, New Zealand on Tuesday. Nearly 20 scientists from Australia, France and New Zealand are part of the 6 week expedition, where they will study the whales, their food, and how they interact with the environment. Captain Andrew Leachman, of the research vessel Tangaroa, expected the journey to the Ross Sea to take about seven and a half days. It is there that the scientists will begin their research and whale tracking.
Peter Garret, Australia’s Conservation Minister, explained that the research project (Southern Ocean Research Partnership) works to change the management of science within the IWC (International Whaling Commission). They are also making great efforts to end scientific whaling and develop global, cooperative whale conservation plans. Garrett also stated:
“It is the largest of its kind in the world that places a premium on scientific knowledge and says that we don’t have to kill whales to learn about them.”
Techniques the researchers intend to use on their 6 week voyage include: biopsy sampling via retrievable darts, photography, satellite tag tracking and more—none of which will cause any severe injury or death to the whales involved. Garret said he extended invitations to Japan and other countries to partake in the research. Quite a number of nations are already supporting the non-lethal research program, including: Australia, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, South Africa, and the United States.
You may have noticed that Japan is not on this list. The ICR (Institute of Cetacean Research) has no intention of taking part in a non-lethal research program. This would be the organization that the Japanese are currently doing their “scientific” whaling under, so it’s really no big surprise that they would refuse such a thing. ICR New Zealand spokesman, Glenn Inwood, claims:
“If you want to hunt whales … to eat them, then you are going to need data that can only be obtained through lethal research.”
A ridiculous statement, if I ever heard one. You don’t see people doing lethal research if they want to hunt a deer, fish for trout, or even catch other forms of sea life. Why should it be needed for whales? Granted, some have been found to contain levels of mercury and other such things. If that is a concern, maybe the whales shouldn’t be hunted at all or maybe people should take a harder look at what they’ve been dumping into the oceans, seas and other waterways all these years. Not to mention that the Japanese hunt and kill hundreds of whales in the Antarctic every year. Do they really need that many carcasses to obtain helpful scientific data? No. Inwood also claims that non-lethal whale research can’t provide age-related data or accurate data on individual whale birthing rates. And yet, scientists have been able to track individual whales and pods (or groups) of them for years, gaining a whole world of information on them, without using lethal methods.
Results from the expedition are to be presented at the IWC annual meeting in Morocco in June. Japan is expected to respond to the research once it is published.
By Heidi Marshall
Other Non-Lethal Whale Research Groups:
Center for Whale Research
Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation
The Foundation for the Center for Research of Whales
Whale Trust
Whale Acoustics
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Tags: 6 week expedition, Antarctica, Japanese whale hunting, New Zealand, non-lethal whale research, Ross Sea, scientists, whale research
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