Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, Greens spokesperson for Whaling and Fisheries, responds to Japan lodging plans to send their whaling fleet to the Southern Ocean to conduct research this summer as a forerunner to bringing back the full-scale slaughter of whales in 2015/16.
Senator Whish-Wilson said, “The same boats that slaughtered hundreds of whales over previous years are planning to return to the Southern Ocean to collect data to help them sneak around the International Court of Justice ruling and bring back whaling in the future.
“It is abhorrent that harpoon boats will be zigzagging the Southern Ocean this summer to find and photograph the whales, only to return the next summer to hunt them down.
“The Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission meets next week in Slovenia to discuss the matter.
“The Australian Government needs to issue the strongest protest possible against Japan conducting whale-spotting using harpoon boats in Australian Antarctic Territorial Waters. It is unacceptable.
“The Australian Government has dodged every possible opportunity to pressure Japan to stop their whaling program.
“The Greens have repeatedly called for a Ministerial Council to be established so that the Australian Government can develop a consistent Australian government approach to whaling policy and for a special Envoy to be sent to Japan.
“We warned that the ICJ decision was only ever part of the solution and that strong diplomatic efforts are also needed to finally end whaling,” Senator Whish-Wilson concluded.
