David @ Tokyo

Scientists working from the Japanese research ship Shonan Maru No 2 have confirmed that Blue whales are on the increase.

This comes along on the heels of continued scientific advice that Humpback populations are increasing at rates of around 10%, meaning that these stocks will return to their pre-whaling levels within the next 10 to 15 years.

Note that the IWC's Revised Management Procedure, unaminously recommended to the IWC by it's scientific committee in 1992, if implemented, would ensure that the target "population remains at 72% of its pre-exploitation level and ... no quotas are provided for stocks below 54% of their pre-exploitation level".

The Blue whales of course are nowhere near meeting this criteria - still at levels of only around 1% of their pre-exploitation estimates, but nonetheless, fabulous news that they are on the increase, after years of showing no signs of recovery. But it's again evident that blue whales, as with the minke and humpback stocks (and virtually any other stock you care to name) are susceptible to natural increases. However, this won't stop the anti-whalers from dressing up their cultural objections as "scientific arguments" though.

Also from the article:

During the cruise, the team of scientists, led by New Zealander Paul Ensor, counted 63 blue whales, 295 fin whales, 532 humpbacks, 971 minkes, 75 killer whales (orcas), 37 sperm whales, 24 southern bottlenose whales, and three southern rights.

Good grief, don't let anyone know that New Zealander Paul Ensor (along with Japanese and American scientists) was on board this Japanese research vessel - after all, we all know Japan's research programmes are a sham now don't we?

It's worth noting indeed that without Japan's contribution of the research vessel, these scientists would not have been able to conduct this study and confirm this increase in Blue whale numbers. That is - without Japan's contribution of the research vessel, funded in part by sale of whale by-products on the market, these findings would not have been facilitated for.

It's clear that true conservation efforts are helped, not hindered, by suitable utilisation of the by-products of lethal research.

Yet inspite of all of this, the western media, spoon-fed NGO propaganda, will continue to lambast Japan's research contributions come this years' IWC meeting in the Caribbean.

Labels: blue whales