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Shocking pictures of a whale and her calf being slaughtered by a Japanese vessel has sparked more controversy.

This has been the cry of New Zealanders and Australians alike. Japan is the only country that hunts and kills these magnificent creatures of the sea in the southern ocean. Last week pictures of a harpooned whale and her calf being hauled onto a Japanese whaling vessel caused a furore. The Japanese government said it would take action against Australia for publishing these pictures, as they are misleading.

The CEO for Greenpeace , said,” “What the Australian government has done is show the world the reality of whaling and if Japan doesn’t like that then they should stop whaling.”
Mr Shallhorn said releasing the footage was “the right thing to do” and encouraged the government to release more images.

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The International Whaling Committee (IWC) , has been listening to both sides of the story and gave Japan permission to hunt whales for research purposes only. They kill approximately 1000 whales a year under this clause. Some whales are under threat, like the Southern Right Whale, as they are diminishing and the scientific community has put this in reports to the commissioners, other scientific communities and other environmental agencies. In 1986, the commission banned commercial whaling.

Japan has lived out of these oceans for centuries and fish and whale meat is part of their staple food supply. This is true for most islands in the Pacific Ocean, including New Zealand. Seafood plays a very significant part in the diet for all people living in this region.
Is this a good enough reason to justify the killing of this animal?

This argument has been heating up for quite some time. Now it seems, both sides are going to battle it out in a legal court. This will set some new precedents and rules. At the last hearing in 2007 of the IWC, many countries spoke and were heard. IWC heard from any country that had an opinion or an interest in whaling. Everyone had the opportunity to put forward their reasons for and against whaling practices.

In New Zealand, whale watching has become big business. Tourists come from all over the world to have a close encounter with these animals; the tourists are as astounded by the size and the grace of these giants in the ocean. This has established a new line of business and many fishermen have become tour guide operators.