Japan's whaling season ends with 262 whales dead

Japan’s whale-hunting season in the North Pacific has just closed with 262 whales dead. Since June, when the controversial hunt began, the whalers have killed 134 sei and 128 minke whales.

This hunt flies in the face of scientific, political and public opinion. A committee of scientists at the International Whaling Commission (IWC – the body that regulates whaling) said the hunts are ‘currently unjustified’ and that they ‘should be halted’, and the European Union formally criticised the hunt in a letter to the member governments of the IWC.

Over 12 years, Japan aims to kill 170 minke whales and 134 sei whales a year for so-called ‘scientific research.

As part of our ongoing campaign to stop whaling, WDC and Care2 submitted a petition to the European Parliament signed by 270,000 members of the public, calling on the EU to discuss whaling in its trade negotiations with Japan.

If you’d like to play your part in ending whaling, please support our campaign with a donation.