It’s been a week of whaling controversy. First there was the trial in Japan of NZ anti-whaling activist Peter Bethune who has been in custody since February when he boarded a Japanese whaling ship in the Antarctic and then there was Australia’s decision to take Japan to the International Court of Justice in the Hague to bring an end to Japans so called “scientific whaling.”Emotions are running high in both Australia and Japan. Both countries view the issue of whales and whaling as symbols of national identity and sovereign rights. Australians are appalled that Japan continues to slaughter hump-back whales within Australian territorial waters and within the Southern Whale Sanctuary in particular. Most Australians view the Hump-back as a sacred animal, or close to it, with an intelligence close to that of humans and react to their killing as they would to the murder of a human being. The Hump-back Whale is also very important for Australia’s ecotourism industry. The Japanese on the other hand do not recognize Australian sovereignty over Australian Antarctic waters and view whaling as their traditional right. The fact that they have no tradition of modern whaling and particularly in the southern ocean is not seen as relevant. Comments by Japanese citizens that whales “are just a fish” and that “Australians kill kangaroo’s so what is the difference” demonstrate a profound national ignorance in Japan about the nature of the issue. They view attacks on their right to whale as an assault on their national pride and they falsely assume that opposition to Japanese whaling is being driven by anti-Japanese sentiment verging on racism.The depth of feeling can be intense as demonstrated by nationalist activists at the trial of Peter Bethune waving “hang the terrorist” placards.Most Australians visiting Japan or socializing with Japanese friends in Australia simply avoid discussing the issue.
Japan has a long history of whaling. Japans first emperor in the 7th Century, Jimmu, was partial to whale meat and whaling has been practiced in remote Japanese villages forever but with less than 1% of Japanese consuming whale meat until 1908 it is a stretch to see it as traditional. The ancient Japanese whalers additionally worshipped the whale as a god in their Kujira Jinga Shrines and killed them only as necessary for the survival of the village. The ancient Japanese would be appalled by the concept of modern commercial whaling.
The father of modern whaling in Japan was not, however, Japanese but US General Douglas MacArthur. He saw whaling as an economical way of feeding post war Japan and authorized 2 factory ships and 12 chasers in 1946-47. The US additionally provided $800,000 in fuel in return for $4 million worth of whale oil which is a pretty good return on investment. The Japanese were taught modern whaling by the Norwegians and in the peak year of 1962 harvested 226,000 tons of whale meat. Catches then gradually declined as whales were hunted to the point of extinction and the catch in 1985 was a mere 15,000 tons. The United States closed Alaskan waters to Japanese whalers in 1986 and there was a moratorium on commercial whaling. The Japanese in an effort to continue whaling exploited a loophole in the International Whaling Commission rules to allow whaling for scientific purposes and expanded their operations into the southern ocean. Scientific whaling is recognized everywhere as a joke but until this week it has not been legally challenged because deeming it illegal could result in Japan resuming uncontrolled commercial whaling and render the International Whaling Commission irrelevant. Australia’s move is therefore a dangerous one but with flawed protocols and decisions corrupted by many small IWC nations subject to economic coercion by Japan it is important to bring the issue to a head. The bigger and as yet unanswered question is how can the world bring powerful rogue nations like Japan to heel? There is Paul Watson’s Sea-Shepherdapproach which has the advantage of keeping the issue in the spotlight but which unfortunately antagonizes the Japanese and hardens their stance. Proactive engagement is probably a better way. There are right winged nationalist hard-heads in Japan but Australia too has its fair share of these. The problem is one of politics and information. Only 11% of Japanese support whaling but on the other hand only 14% oppose it. Most Japanese don't even think about it. The irony of the whole debate is that demand for whale meat in Japan is low. In 2005 for example, 20% of the 4,000 ton haul of whale meat remained unsold as unwanted frozen surplus despite attempts to promote its sale into new markets such as school lunches and dog food. The challenge is to increase political opposition to whaling within Japan. The Japanese tourists on the Perth whale-watching tours are after all just as enthralled by whale watching as the Aussies and most have no interest in consuming whale meat. The value of a living whale is immeasurably greater than that of a whale carcass.
At an ocean trench off Rotto Where the sea is very deep And the icy Southern Ocean And the Leeuwin Current meet You will find the wanderer On winter time retreat
Skimming over wave tops With the rhythm of the sea His graceful soaring flight Is marvellous to see With rigid wings unmoving Defying gravity
The Perth Canyon is a 1,300 m deep trench cutting inot the continental shelf 20 km west of Rottnest Island. It is well known for game fishing, Pygmy Blue Whales and southern ocean seabirds that migrate northwards in the southern winter. High productivity is supported by a localised upwelling of cold nutrient rich water at the eastern end of the trench. This upwelling is driven by the Leeuwin Current which paradoxically inhibits upwellings along much of the Western Australian coast and is responsible for the relatively low productivity of Western Australian fisheries dcompared to those on the western side of South America and Africa. The warm and nutrient poor Leeuwin Current is also responsble for the extension of coral reefs as far south as Rottnest Island. As the current swings westwards over the Perth Canyon it drives cold nutrient rich deep water from bottom of the Canyon into the photic zone to trigger blooms of phytoplankton which in turn support masses of krill. These in turn feed Pygmy Blue Whales that congregate in the area during summer and Humpback whales which pass through the area on their way to and from their tropical winter calving grounds. The Perth Canyon is a fabulous fishing spot that is coming under increasing pressure from an expanding long line fleet that currently operates with 5 million hooks. In Winter it is a feeding ground for pelagic seabirds such as Albatross and Petrels retreating northward from the stormy Antarctic Winter. The Perth Canyon and its marvellous fishing and wildlife are still a fairly well kept secret but charter operators are increasingly running charters to the area. If you get the chance to go you should do so. Alternatively why not get some friends together and charter your own boat. Marvellous!
With mouth agape he raised his ruff But I knew it was only bluff I knew he was not that tough And would soon tire of this stuff
But then he had a better plan With brilliant orange frilly fan Tucked in closely, off he ran On two hind legs just like a man
Looking for a place to flee He quickly ran straight up a tree Where safety was a gaurantee And he could keep an eye on me
Somehow watching through the tree On the other side from me Always moving round the tree Practising his ESP
There are few sights more magnificant than a frilled lizard which is probably why it was selected as the cover photo on my 1979 Edition of Harold G.Cogger's Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia. It is an iconic species that adorned the now obsolete 2c piece and is still common in the dry sclerophyll forests of tropical Australia and New Guinea. They were very common on Groote Eylandt when I was there in the 1990's and referred to by the local Aborigines as man-lizards due to their habit of running on their back legs when alarmed which on Groote was frequent with no shortage of hungry hunters. Not suprisingly for an arboreal species, they climb really well despite their large size and this coupled with their speed gives them a fair degree of protection. What I could never figure out is how they would manage to keep on the far side of the tree when I was trying to get a closer look at one. Fast or slow, clockwise or anticlockwise they would mirror my movement to remain on the far side of the tree. Although arboreal, the frilled lizard spends a lot of time on the ground hunting for insects and small invertebrates and when started will initally raise its ruff and open its mouth to expose sharp teeth in an attempt to frighten off the intruder. If this fails it is time to run like the wind and straight up the nearest tree.
Light has come to the eternal night of the Congo Basin rainforest. Ancient forest giants festooned with vines crash to the forest floor with a mighty noise that for a moment drowns out the roar of the chainsaws. Monkeys and other forest animals flee in terror as the bright light of civilisation finally reaches the dark heart of Africa. The Baka pygmies look on while the forest resources so necessary for their livelihoods and culture disappear. But the Baka are pragmatic and there is always more forest to move to. Or is there?Unless something is done soon to slow or halt the rapid deforestation of the Congo Basin rainforest there will soon be no old growth forest left for the Baka and no wildlife left to hunt. What then for the Baka? What then for the planet? We cannot allow this to happen.
