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CITES and IWC
Mr. Makoto Ito
Secretary
Japan Whaling Association (JWA) & the Riches of the Sea
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Also, there is plenty of evidence showing that some whale species are very
abundant. For instance, such species as minke whales and gray whales are far
away from endangered and the population of those stocks even grew to the point
where the balance in the ecosystem became disrupted. Some examples follow.
- The minke whale is the second smallest of the baleen whales, with a maximum
length of 11m. It is more fecund than other large baleen whales. In 1991, based
on sighting surveys over a long period of time, the IWC estimated the population
of minke whales in the Antarctic to be as many as 760,000 animals. Some
scientists say that such an overpopulation of minke whales may have prevented
recovery of other baleen whales such as blue whales.
- Minke whales along the Japanese coast are also abundant and have conflicts
with fishermen over its fish prey, which is also commercially important for
fishermen. A recent study done by the Institute of Cetacean Research shows that
minke whales eat many commercially important fish, such as sardines and
mackerels. According to ICR's study, whales in the world consume as much as 300
to 500 million tons of marine living resources and this is equivalent to three
to six times the amount harvested by marine fisheries.
- For the gray whales, its stock in the eastern North Pacific recovered to its
original population level (about 26,000) and approaching its ecological carrying
capacity. Accordingly, in 1996, the U.S. removed this stock from its endangered
species list. Furthermore, this year, many gray whales were found dead ashore.
Those deaths are presumed to be caused by lack of food due to the
overpopulation.
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