Greenies claim a victory over Japan's whalers (Nissui sells whaling fleet)

[Barrett808]

Greenies claim a victory over Japan's whalers
By Andrew Darby
April 2, 2006

ENVIRONMENTALISTS are claiming a victory over Japanese whalers following the decision by fishing companies to quit the business after years of hunting the giant mammals.

Fishing companies that have been whaling since the 1930s have decided to give up the only ocean-going whaling fleet left in the world. At least one, Nissui, has indicated that it will totally exit the business. But the operator of Japan's program, the Government-backed Institute of Cetacean Research, has vowed to redouble its efforts to continue under a new regime.

Greenpeace is claiming the shift as a great development in the long struggle to end whaling.

"These companies' shareholders have been deeply concerned by the backlash they are experiencing," said Danny Kennedy, campaigns manager for Greenpeace Australia Pacific.

The six-ship Japanese fleet chartered by the fishing companies to the cetacean institute was dogged by activists from Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd in the Antarctic last summer, the first year of an escalated hunt.

(more)

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/greenies-claim-a-victory-over-japans-whalers/2006/04/01/1143441378884.html

[saigon68]

1. Thank YOU Capt. Paul Watson

http://www.seashepherd.org/

[flvegan]

2. This is great news.

The publicity of the last campaign obviously did some damage. Well done, Greenpeace, Sea Shepherd, and all involved.

[Kagemusha]

5. To be honest, was more that the Japanese public didn't care.

If whale meat had a more enthusiastic market then whaling those species which are not in danger of going extinct would remain viable even in the face of this pressure. It doesn't. The companies have no compelling business rationale remaining here.

I really don't pretend to know why the Japanese government cares. I have a better idea why the Canadian government cares - regional politics. I won't shed a tear if the seal hunt stops, but I hope people don't take this as encouragement to do stupid things either.

[Barrett808]

3. Sea Shepherd: Nissui surrenders to anti-whalers

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Paul Watson"
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2006 17:35:01 -0800
To: "Paul Watson"
Subject: NISSUI SURRENDERS TO ANTI-WHALERS

NISSUI SURRENDERS TO ANTI-WHALERS


The boycott of Sealord products in New Zealand and Gorton Seafood products in the United States has paid off.

Nissui, the Japanese company that owns both Sealord and Gorton also owns 50% of Kyodo Senpaku which owns and operates the Japanese whaling fleet.

According to a report by Andrew Darby in the Melbourne Age, Kyodo Senpaku has announced that it will get rid of the ships, "in view of the scientific and public-interest nature of the activities now carried out by our company".

These are the six ships that Sea Shepherd chased and harassed in December of 2005 and January of 2006.

Conservation groups led by Earth Island Institute stepped up a consumer campaign against fishing companies owned by Nissui, which has been whaling for 72 years. New Zealand-based international fisheries company Sealord, half-owned by Nissui, came under attack, as did the United States company Gorton's, which is fully owned by the Japanese company.

40,000 emails went to Sealord's chief executive, Doug McKay, alone.

In Argentina, a local seafood company cancelled contracts with Nissui after cyber-activists downloaded stickers to put on its products on supermarket shelves, and 21,000 emails went to the company headquarters.

Again according to the Melbourne Age, the shares will be transferred to a series of public interest corporations. They include the Institute of Cetacean Research, but the rest are as yet unidentified. "Present shareholders will eventually be completely divested of their ownership," the statement said.

Nissui had also undertaken to stop processing and distributing whale meat in Japan.

Although this decision will not shut down the Japanese fleet, there is no doubt that it is a significant blow to the industry.

"Whaling is becoming a taboo industry and the taint of blood and suffering associated with it, will pollute any product of any company associated with the slaughter of whales." Said Captain Paul Watson. "People around the world have spoken with their power as consumers and it is a language that corporations understand. Whaling has no place in the 21st Century and civilized people everywhere are opposed to it."

Nissui made the decision not because of concern for the whales but because hundreds of thousands of people made Nissui aware of their concerns and their refusal to support companies that support whaling.

Sea Shepherd Whale Campaign
http://seashepherd.org/whales/whales.html

[MasonJar]

4. I am so elated. One down and one to go. Now if we have to we

will boycott Canadian products to get the government to stop supporting/allowing the slaghter of baby seals. If we boycott the oil companies and the other US anti-environment, anti-worker corps, they will have to change or close.

[Judi Lynn]

6. Progress should be celebrated. So much more is needed, too.

Great image remains after reading the article:

In Argentina, a local seafood company cancelled contracts with Nissui after cyber-activists downloaded stickers to put on its products on supermarket shelves, and 21,000 emails went to the company headquarters.
(snip)

How wonderful to know there are this many people who are willing to put themselves out for a desperately important cause.

[WhiteTara]

7. Another Planetary Hero Paul Watson

:toast: :yourock: :applause: :woohoo: :loveya: :party:
After years of hard work and at great personal risk, he now gets to face the last diehards of the whale killers threatening to double their efforts. Thanks for your work. Don't stop until the last whale ship docks for the last time.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Another article on this step forward: Japanese Fishing Firms Quit Whaling

Japanese Fishing Firms Quit Whaling

A whale of a victory - scenes like this whale kill will hopefully no longer happen. Photo courtesy of AFP.
by Shingo Ito
Tokyo (AFP) Apr 04, 2006
Environmentalists hailed victory Monday as key Japanese firms quit the whaling business after a pressure campaign, although the government vowed no change to its controversial annual hunt.
Fishing giant Nissui and four other firms that have owned whaling company Kyodo Senpaku will "soon donate" all of their shareholdings to public interest corporations, a Kyodo Senpaku spokesman said.

Its new shareholders will include the Institute of Cetacean Research, the Japanese government-backed agency promoting whaling.

Environmental group Greenpeace had launched a letter campaign and threatened to blacklist non-whale products distributed worldwide by Nissui.

The whaling exit marks a rare victory for environmentalists in Japan, which has ignored years of angry protests elsewhere in the world and last year doubled its annual whale kill in the Antarctic.
(snip/...)

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Japanese_Fishing_Firms_Quit_Whaling.html

[Tiggeroshii]

9. Very good! n/t

[Coventina]

10. Thank God/dess!

One tiny ray of hope in a world that grows increasingly dark....

[Barrett808]

11. Blessed be. n/t