As the whaling fleet departed from Shimonoseki, Japan, today, bound for the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary with theintention of killing 1,000 whales, Greenpeace called upon the FisheriesAgency of Japan (FAJ) and the companies behind the whaling to immediately recall the fleet and cancel the cull.

"Sanctuary means refuge or safe haven, yet this year nearly 1,000 whales will receive neither from the whaler's harpoon," warned John Frizell of Greenpeace International. "The Sanctuary is there to help whales recover after over a century of relentless persecution sent populations plummeting. Japan should join all other countries in respecting the Sanctuary."

The Southern Ocean was designated a whale sanctuary in 1994 and commercial
whaling was banned in 1986 by the International Whaling Commission, yet
every year since 1987 FAJ has exploited a loophole in international law
which permits it to issue licences for the so-called 'scientific whaling'.
The IWC has said it does not need the data produced by the 'research' and
strongly urges Japan to call off. Such is the scale of the hunt even the
most naive observer cannot fail to conclude that this is commercial whaling.

Each year after the whales have been measured and weighed by the scientists
they are cut up and boxed for market. FAJ says that "according to Japanese
cultural values . whales are viewed as a food source." However, an opinion
poll commissioned in 2002 by the influential Japanese Asahi newspaper paints
a different picture: only 4% of the population regularly eat whale meat; 9%
rarely eat it; 53% haven't eaten it since childhood and 33% never eat it.

"In reality few Japanese people view whale meat as a vital food source and
even fewer actually eat it. It is simply not true that whaling is important
to the Japanese public and the whaling fleet should not leave for the
Antarctic whale sanctuary," said Mizuki Takana of Greenpeace Japan.

Earlier this year, the FAJ announced at the annual meeting of the IWC its
intention to more than double its scientific cull to 935 minke whales and to
add 50 fin whales and 50 humpback whales over the next two years. Both
humpback and fin whales are listed as endangered species.

Among the areas to be studied by FAJ is the impact of whales on fish stocks.
The Agency claims that whales are contributing to the collapse of fish
stocks. "Ninety nine per cent of the catch will be Southern Ocean minke
whales which eat krill not fish. Only the newly added endangered Fin and
Humpback whales eat fish," said John Frizell. "Are we really saying that we
cannot spare a few fish for endangered whales?"