The Government of Japan hunts more than 1,200 whales a year despite a global ban on commercial whaling.  Japan attempts to defend its whaling program by calling it "scientific whaling," as lethal whale research is allowed through an International Whaling Commission (IWC) loophole.  But the reality is that whale meat obtained from Japan's "research" ends up in fish markets and restaurants.  Its deadly "scientific" whaling program is nothing more than unlawful commercial whaling in disguise.  The fact is, you don't need to kill whales to study them.

Harpoons using the same explosive grenade heads employed fifty years ago are still used today.  Often, the first blast isn't enough to kill the poor whale.  Whaling ships have been filmed hoisting live whales up the side of their huge industrial ships by the tail, leaving the whale's blow hole underwater.  The helpless whale can only thrash against the side of the ship, desperate for air, until it slowly drowns.

Perhaps even more shocking, this unsanctioned killing is happening in the protected waters around Antarctica in the Southern Ocean Marine Sanctuary, blatantly defying international law.

Killing whales under the guise of conducting scientific research, when the actual purpose of killing the whales is to sell their meat in the pursuit of profit, is deceitful and unlawful under international law.

More than 30,000 whales have been killed for commercial purposes since the ban was put in place in 1986.  In the past 15 years, Japan has increased its catch five-fold to more than 1,200 whales each year and is now targeting 50 humpbacks each year for the next two years.

This painful slaughter of whales does not benefit science, whales or people.