Int’l Conservation Panel to Discuss Japan’s Sei Whale Hunting

October 1, 2018

Sochi, Russia- An international conservation panel is slated to discuss Japanese hunting of sei whales in the northwestern Pacific on Tuesday, at a meeting in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

The standing committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention, kicked off the five-day meeting on Monday.

The convention bans commercial trade in sei whales, listed on its list of most endangered species.

Japan catches sei whales for scientific research to understand their lives. This year, it has captured 134 sei whales.

At the committee's meeting in November last year, Australia and other antiwhaling countries questioned sales of meat from sei whales after the carcasses were examined, arguing that Japan appeared to be hunting sei whales for commercial purposes.

In March, Japan followed a recommendation by the standing committee to accept an inspection team and provide it with detailed information.

During the ongoing meeting, the panel will discuss the inspection results. If it deems the Japanese hunting to violate the convention, the country may be asked to take corrective action or stop trade of sei whales. Jiji Press