Russia, Japan rekindle whale meat trade

The agreement marks the first ever commercial hunt of beluga whales.

September 9, 1999
Web posted at: 1:18 p.m. EDT (1718 GMT)

A recent agreement between Russia and Japan to allow the commercial hunt of beluga whales has re-ignited international trade in whale meat.

The agreement, which marks the first ever commercial hunt of belugas, is being denounced by conservation groups, including Greenpeace, The World Wide Fund for Nature, Russia's Marine Mammal Council, the Russian Society of Animal Protection and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Conservationists are condemning the agreement on the grounds that the trade is not sustainable and could threaten many whale populations worldwide. In addition, they say the hunt sets a huge precedent for the commercial hunting of small whales and dolphins. Several groups have joined together to draft a protest statement addressed to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Although Japan is currently the only country besides Norway engaged in commercial whaling, there has been no international trade in whale meat since the International Whaling Commission banned international trade in 1986.

As part of the deal, the State Fishery Committee of the Russian Federation has issued permits for 200 beluga whales in the southern section of the Sea of Okhotsk. While the Russian government has sanctioned the hunt, the Russian authorities for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora have yet to authorize the trade. The permits must be issued before customs officials will allow the whale meat to leave the country.

Legally, there is nothing that prevents Russia from issuing the permits as beluga whales are covered under a Convention on International Trade provision that allows limited trade, provided that it is not harmful to the whale populations.

However, some Convention on International Trade authorities in Russia appear to have reservations about the trade. Valentine Ilyashenko, deputy-chief of the CITES-Russia Authority office, has required the Russian supplier to guarantee that no more than 200 beluga whales will be killed, and to allow for DNA analysis of the meat prior to shipment to ensure that it is beluga whale meat.

Scientists are particularly concerned about the effects of the hunt on the beluga populations at stake. "Very little is known about the status of several of the stocks covered by the Russian quota," said Peter Meisenheimer of the International Marine Mammal Association, "and all but the Bering Sea populations are considered depleted. Any unmonitored take from these stocks could have serious consequences for the population."

There is also much concern regarding the way the hunt is being carried out. Beluga whales have not been hunted in Russia for more than 30 years. The result could be a mismanaged hunt, burdened by lack of experience, insufficient equipment and no independent observers.

Beluga whales have not been hunted in Russia for more than 30 years.

"This trade in beluga whale meat signals a dangerous step forward for Japan's commercial whale trade," said Karen Steuer, director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare Commercial Exploitation and Trade Program, "and a dangerous step backward for Russia's developing conservation efforts and threatened beluga whale populations."

"If this hunt goes through, there will be other requests coming to the Russian government to hunt belugas. Before long we could have a hunt of a couple thousand Belugas," Steuer said. "Once you start commercial whaling in any species, you have to make sure all of the bells and whistles are in place, that all the regulations are there from A to Z. Every time we have had a commercial hunt of whales there has been over-exploitation."

The whales will be used for the consumption of meat and blubber. According to Steuer, the Russians are being paid $400 a whale by the Japanese company. What the beluga meat will sell for in the Japanese marketplace is unclear, since the Japanese have not traditionally eaten beluga. "Something rare and new usually brings a high price," said Steuer. Currently, most whale meat in Japan sells for the equivalent of a higher-priced steak in the U.S. market.

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