Future IWC for Japan, fishery, the world and whales; the keyword is "Ebisu"
Japan should not refuse to accept the decision by the international judiciary.
However, there is also another way to find a raison d'etre of the nation in the IWC: International Whaling Committee.
The keyword is "Ebisu": "the God of wealth and rich haul" in Japan.
Japanese whaling industry both major farm and Taiji has been the indivisible constitution with "Over catching", "Regulatory" and "Killing calf and mother whales" historically.
But there is another traditional culture of whales in Japan, too.
Whales which drive fish for human have been worshiped as "Ebisu-sama" and to catch whales has been taboo at some regions in Japan from ancient times.
This amazing traditional culture is worth to spread all over Japan and around the world in contrast whaling and "Favorite Sashimi" culture.
Even if commercial whaling will be continued to ban in the future, Japan will be able to obtain a large profit and exert international leadership for belonging to the IWC.
On the other hand, the way of whaling is completely cut off if Japan withdraws from the IWC. The choices are only two;
To continue circumvention whaling so-called "research whaling" which never help at all neither to international cooperation nor to fisheries while deceiving the Japanese public and taking contempt and condemnation around the world, or to choose another way.
Japan and Anti-whaling countries can come to the academic and rational negotiating table although Japan denies it.
First of all, the concept which regard nature and wildlife as only edible resources is non-scientific.
RMP: Revised Management Protocol which developed for the IWC has been utilized in fisheries as robust management system today.
However, RMP will not actually be applied since agreement about RMS: Revised Management Scheme is never obtained at IWC.
And also, factory ship whaling in the Antarctic Ocean not be satisfied profitably as JARPAII had shown.
Now, there is a more appropriate alternative management scheme to whales.
MSES: Maximum Sustainable Ecological Services is a conception proposed by Japanese ecological scientists.
Comprehensive management including consumptive use, non-consumptive use, and whole ecological services is the most rational management of whales as "Global Commons" at the international governmental organization.
It has been found that whales play a great role than the forest in carbon fixation.
Particularly whale's carbon fixation in the Antarctic Ocean is extremely important where minerals supplied from Antarctic continent.
Increase primary marine productivity is also a topic receiving a lot of attention lately.
Protection of whales will surely contribute to the improvement of fisheries same as the setting of MPA: Marine Protected Areas.
Maintaining deep-sea biodiversity points fauna of whale falls.
Whales play a very big role in terms of maintaining biodiversity spots in the deep sea where there must be many unknown species.
Mitigation effect on regime shift is a hypothesis about regime shifts contribution by high-level predators which has broad and flexible food habits as whales.
Whale's consumption is high only when the fish price goes down because it is too caught.
In addition, as the amplitude becomes sweep and the minimum value of resources is raised, the period during which the fishery is regulated will also be shortened.
So it is said that whales provide only benefits to fishery far from food damage.
Although there are several hypotheses for the change of pelagic fish species, it seems that similar results will be obtained with many other hypotheses.
This "Ebisu Effect" is considered large in the northwest Pacific Ocean particularly.
Australia, New Zealand, the United States which strictly protect marine mammals have been successful rather than Japan in the fisheries resource management.
If these studies and assessment progress, Japanese fisherman also will be able to confirm whale's benefits.
SAWS: South Atlantic Whale Sanctuary has also an enormous significance as the field for the verification of those whale's ecological services.
Whale watching has now become successful and big growth industry around the world including Ogasawara, Ohgata, Zamami, Chohshi, Shiretoko and so on in Japan unlike whaling industry has been turned into the unprofitable state-owned business.
In Japan, local governments and industry associations made voluntary rules in cooperation and their Whale watching industry are the good sustainable model of whale watching which does not adversely influence to whales.
Japan will surely be able to share and provide that know-how to the world through the IWC.
Consumptive use of whales should be limited to aboriginal whaling and use of by-catch which strictly monitored and managed by the IWC.
Only Ainu have the right as indigenous people to access whales, though they had been forced to ban by the Japanese Government in the Meiji Era.
Having said that, anti-whaling countries and NGOs should give a certain grace period for the transition to Japan about coastal whaling.
Premature introduction of commercial whaling ban has called up the resolute anti-anti-whaling movement which combined with ultra-nationalism in Japan and over 10,000 of whales had been killed under the moratorium.
I want to believe that there is a bright future ahead of not only the IWC and whales but Japan and its fisheries.
Reference:
More detail of the second chart
- 3-sukumi hypothesis simulation with whale consumption model
- Fisheries Diversity and the Ecosystem-based management
- Optimal Fishing Policies That Maximize Sustainable Ecosystem Services
- Whales as marine ecosystem engineers
- Why whale poo is good for the oceans... and us
- Why whale poo could be the secret to reversing the effects of climate change
- Whales' dung is the real reason we need to stop hunting them
