issue 26 // volume 40 International court » Australia and New Zealanc 1e-1 qo E- | Oy- eco mere) bn a , Julia Siedlanowska || Staff Writer apan has long had a tradition of hunting whales for food, but as evidenced by the recent ruling from the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ), the practice is no longer in favour. In 2010 Australia brought the case of Japan’s whaling practices to court, and a verdict was : ty Us : OF : useful scientific outcomes,” he said. “One finally reached on March 31. The ICJ ruled that Japan must stop its whaling program in : ye : activity down there has rather made Japan : dig its heels in. So while I’m sure that some : of the Sea Shepherd people will claim credit : for it, in fact my own perspective is Japan : needs a bit of space here to work its way out : of what is a practice that’s got no future.” the Antarctic, which was being conducted under the pretext of scientific research. Although Japan claimed that its whaling program was scientific, the ICJ found that their research program, JARPA II, did not hold up against scrutiny. During the hearings, only two peer-evaluated research papers had been referenced. “In light of the fact the JARPA II [research program] has been going on since : : Greenpeace, John Frizell wrote that, “The 2005, and has involved the killing of about 3,600 minke whales, the scientific output to date appears limited,” presiding Judge Peter : Tomka of Slovakia was reported to have said : ; : two years’ worth of frozen whale meat in storage that it is struggling to sell.” during the hearing. In 1982, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) proposed a moratorium : : ICJ’s ruling was a success. New Zealand’s : Prime Minister John Key called the ruling, on commercial whaling. The moratorium makes exemptions for aboriginal subsistence, and also allows permits for scientific research. While Japan signed the 1986 moratorium, they continued to hunt under the guise of research; both Norway and Iceland oppose the IWC moratorium and continue to whale commercially. In an online article for CNN, scientist and author Carl Safina expressed his opinion on Japan’s whaling practices. Safina describes how in 1904, Norwegian whaler C.F. Larsen wrote that “I see them [whales] in hundreds and thousands.” In the 60 years following the writing of those words, Safina says that “whalers killed about two million whales in the Southern Hemisphere, including about 360,000 blue whales, 200,000 humpbacks, almost 400,000 sperm whales, and a staggering By www.static-secure.guim.co.uk : 750,000 fin whales.” “Many of those whales should still be : alive,” Safina states. Although the IC)’s ruling is seen as a success by many activists, New : Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Murray : McCully was cautious of thanking the : activist group Sea Shepherd that was : involved in whaling protests in Japan. : “What I’ve said before is a program that : is carried out today, largely for reasons of : pride on Japan's part, rather than because there’s any use for the whale meat or any of the problems has been that the protest While Japan argued the suit was an attempt by Australia to impose their : cultural norms, demands for whale-meat are decreasing in Japan. In an article for meat from the hunts is largely going into storage because demand for whale meat has plunged to record lows; the industry has For Australia and for New Zealand, the “a great decision.” Activist Pete Bethune, arrested in 2010 : on charges of illegally boarding a Japanese : whaler, was reported to have slept outside : the Hague where the ICJ met in order to : make sure the court handed down the : restriction on Japan’s whaling practices. “T believe justice has been served and I feel in some way vindicated with my : activities in 2o10. It’s been amazing, a very : emotional day,” Bethune said. Prime Minister Key has said that Japan might apply for legitimate scientific whaling : programs, reducing the number of whales : they caught. He said it was unlikely that : they would withdraw from the IWC. For now, Japan has cancelled its next : Antarctic-based whale hunt. news // 5 PAY FOR 3 MONTHS GET 4TH MONTH FREE! South Vancouver Self Storage 8866 Laurel St * 604-229-3262 vancouver(@sentinel.ca Coquitlam Self Storage 195 Schoolhouse St» 604-229-3260 coquitlam@sentinel.ca | sy Richmond Self Storage bel | 11151 Bridgeport Road * 604-229-3261 a —_ richmond@sentinel.ca i Visit www.sentinel.ca Sey want to do it at item ets HE Do it your way. The semester is almost over. Are you thinking of picking up a prerequisite or redoing a course? Get ahead without sacrificing your summer. A A'CMo) arlene) iclaeo}e Mela l(a e Mes MON RE- LiClO ESSER Enrol anytime, study anywhere, then transfer your credits back to your current program. PM TEM Lee teh By THOMPSON RIVERS ey UNIVERSITY fe arning RRMA RL me caer: