Japan has confirmed that its whaling fleet has killed a fin whale for the first time in over a decade, despite the fact that this species is the second largest animal on Earth and is at risk of extinction.
The fin whale is the second largest animal in the world after the blue whale. (Image: The Inertia).
The male fin whale, measuring 19.6 meters and weighing 55 tons, was recently captured off the coast of Iwate Prefecture by Kyodo Senpaku, according to OceanCare. This fishing activity occurred following a controversial decision in May 2024, when fin whales were added to the list of species that could be hunted in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. The country’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced that it would allow the capture of 59 fin whales, along with the current quotas for minke whales, Bryde’s whales, and sei whales. At the time of the announcement, Kyodo Senpaku also launched a new whaling vessel named Kangei Maru, measuring 112.6 meters and equipped with a modern slaughterhouse, as reported by IFL Science on August 6.
The fin whale is the second-largest animal on Earth in terms of length, surpassed only by the blue whale. They are regarded as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Japan claims that the population of fin whales in the North Pacific has recovered sufficiently to allow for sustainable hunting. However, many conservation experts disagree and strongly criticize the decision to hunt fin whales.
“The fin whale is the second largest animal on Earth. This is a major mistake for Japan, for the whales, and for the international community working to protect them. We call on Japan to immediately retract this indefensible decision,” stated Catherine Bell, Director of International Policy at the World Animal Protection Fund. “There is no humane way to kill a whale at sea, and we are deeply concerned about the animal welfare implications of this hunting activity.” According to Bell, Japan’s whalers have not killed fin whales since 2011, and the current harpoon operators lack experience in killing such large and heavy animals, which are much larger than the species they typically hunt. Harpoons are ineffective in killing whales, leading to a slow and painful death.
Japan resumed commercial whaling in June 2019 after controversially withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the intergovernmental organization that oversees the industry. The Australian government has been particularly outspoken against this, expressing “deep disappointment” with Japan’s commercial whaling activities.
