whales
Reasonably good news! Japan finally gave up on the idea of killing about 50 humpback whales for their “scientific programme”, after strong diplomatic efforts and pressure from many countries, including Australia and New Zealand. The Japanese whaling fleet will still slaughter 935 minke whales and 50 fin whales, but it’s good to see that international protests do have some effect.
From Stuff.co.nz:
The humpbacks Japan intended to kill under the guise of scientific research were already being studied by non-lethal research programmes in Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia and Tonga.
Humpback and fin whales populations were yet to recover from decades of over-exploitation from commercial whaling.
