RAW DEAL Kyokuyo, True World Foods and Japan’s Whale Hunts

A Report by the Environmental Investigation Agency April 2007

In Japan’s history of commercial whaling, seafood company Kyokuyo Co., Ltd (Kabushiki Kaisha Kyokuyo) has been a major player. Since it began hunting whales in the late 1930s, Kyokuyo has profited from the deaths of over 130,000 great whales,1

including more than 10,000 whales since the international ban on commercial whaling took effect in 1986.2 In March 2006, in an apparent effort to distance itself from Japanese whaling, Kyokuyo divested its shares in Kyodo Senpaku—the company that carries out Japan’s commercial whaling. The share transfer occurred just after another of Kyodo Senpaku’s major shareholders, Nippon Suisan, was subject to intense international public pressure to end its involvement in, and support of, Japan’s commercial whaling.3 Despite having sold its shares in the whaling company, Kyokuyo remains closely involved in Japan’s commercial whaling industry as a major producer and distributor of whalemeat. Kyokuyo continues to supply canned and fresh whale products from Kyodo Senpaku’s whale hunts to hundreds, if not thousands, of supermarkets and other retail outlets across Japan, as well as through online shopping. Japan’s whaling is in direct violation of the ban on commercial whaling, which was agreed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in 1982, after industrial whaling had severely depleted most of the great whale populations. The IWC is the body recognized by the United Nations as having legal authority over the world’s whales. Kyokuyo also sells whalemeat from whales killed in the Southern Ocean, which was established as a sanctuary in 1994 by the IWC to ensure a safe haven for whales—and in which hunting is strictly forbidden. Since 1994, the Japanese government has authorized Kyodo Senpaku to steadily

increase the number of whales it kills, and expand the number of species it targets. Japan’s hunts in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary now includes endangered fin whales, and will include humpback whales beginning this year. With business ventures and offices that span the globe, Kyokuyo is a billion dollar international conglomerate,4 which depends on access to foreign markets and resources to remain competitive. In 2006, as part of its global expansion, Kyokuyo announced that it would be partnering with True World Foods, one of the largest sushi-grade seafood suppliers in the U.S. The two companies plan to introduce a new line of sushi products in the U.S. called “Polar Seas Frozen Sushi.” 5 Given True World Foods’ prominence in the wholesale sushi industry in the U.S., Kyokuyo is positioned to make a handsome profit from its alliance with True World Foods. True World Foods may be unaware that the company it has recently partnered with is quite possibly the world’s largest whalemeat producer, and that it continues to wholeheartedly support Japan’s whaling by purchasing, canning, and selling whale products. EIA is calling on True World Foods to persuade Kyokuyo to immediately stop all whalemeat sales and distribution, and to shut down the production of canned whalemeat. By categorically disassociating itself from Japan’s whaling, Kyokuyo can begin to redress the decades of destruction it has wreaked upon the world’s whales. ALLAN THORNTON | President

Environmental Investigation Agency April 2007

INTRODUCTION

Cover Credits from left to right: Credit: NOAA, © S. Pendurthi/EIA, © C. Bass/EIA, © Greenpeace/Morgan.. Sushi photo credit this page: © S. Pendurthi/EIA.

Kyokuyo and two other multinational fishing companies, Maruha Group, Ltd (previously Taiyo Gyogyo) and Nippon Suisan Kaisha Co., Ltd. (previously Nippon Hogei, and also known as Nissui), were the major players in Japan’s commercial whaling history. Until 2006, these three companies owned more than 80% of Kyodo Senpaku, the company that still owns and operates Japan’s whaling fleet today.

During the height of Antarctic commercial whaling in the 1960s, Kyokuyo, Maruha and Nippon Suisan owned and operated the Japanese Antarctic whaling fleet. Conservative estimates indicate that these three companies together killed nearly half a million whales in the Antarctic and North Pacific between 1929 and 1986.6

Established in 1937 as Kyokuyo Hogei K.K. (literally, Polar Seas Whaling Ltd.), modern day seafood powerhouse Kyokuyo began as a whaling company.7 In total, Kyokuyo has had a hand in killing over 130,000 whales during its 70 years of commercial whaling activities in both the Antarctic and North Pacific.8

Historic whaling records indicate that Kyokuyo Hogei boats made their first trip to the Antarctic in 1938, where they hunted nearly every year until 1975.9 These records implicate Kyokuyo specifically in the deaths of over 52,500 whales in the North Pacific, and 85,000 whales in the Antarctic before the moratorium on commercial whaling came into effect in 1986.10

In 1971, Kyokuyo Hogei changed its name to Kyokuyo Co., Ltd.11 In 1976, due to declining whale populations and reduced IWC catch quotas, the whaling departments of Kyokuyo, Maruha and Nissui down-sized and merged to form Nippon Kyodo Hogei Co., Ltd. This company hunted more than 35,000 whales before the ban on commercial whaling came into effect.12

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KYOKUYO: MORE THAN 70 YEARS IN THE WHALING BUSINESS

Kyokuyo Hogei, K.K. (1937 to 1976)

Nippon Hogei, K.K. (1937—1976)

Maruha Hogei, K.K. (1937-1976)

Nippon Kyodo Hogei (1976-1987)

Kyodo Senpaku (1987 to present)

Japan’s top three fishing companies start as whaling companies:

The whaling departments of the three companies merge.

The whaling company changes names and classification in an effort to avoid the whaling ban.

Nissui divests and quits whalemeat business.

Kyokuyo divests but continues to produce canned whalemeat and other whale products.

International pressure leads to the companies divesting their shares in the whaling fleet.

Maruha divests but continues to sell canned whalemeat.

Today, Kyokuyo is Japan’s fourth largest marine products company, catching, processing, canning and wholesaling fresh, salted and frozen seafood.13

Sales of its fish products accounted for more than half of its $1.2 billion in sales in 2006.14 With a growing demand for marine products overseas, particularly in North America, Europe and China, this sector is a priority for expansion in the Kyokuyo group.15

In April 2005, Kyokuyo established K&U Enterprise Co., Ltd. with the Union Frozen Products Co., Ltd of Thailand, to export high-quality frozen sushi products to Europe, Japan, and the U.S.16 According to a 2006 shareholders report, Kyokuyo participated in the 2006 European Seafood Exposition, “as part of our overseas-oriented sales strategy,” where they “set up a Kyokuyo booth and exhibited, offered taste samples, and engaged in business talks focused on frozen

sushi.” They state, “The frozen sushi that we exhibited this time became the food item positioned as a major pillar in our overseas-oriented sales strategy.”17 Kyokuyo has six international representative offices, including Kyokuyo America Corporation based in Seattle. In 2005, a Kyokuyo Europe representative office was established in the Netherlands with the intent to develop sales in Europe and Russia. In the same year, a new representative office was set up in Qingdao, China. Kyokuyo has a further 10 affiliated companies, mostly based in Japan.18 As a multinational company that depends on access to foreign markets, Kyokuyo has a responsibility to act in accordance with international law, and must increasingly answer to an international constituency. In the U.S. and Europe, where Kyokuyo is experiencing its most rapid expansion, Kyokuyo’s customers are likely to have strong feelings about the company’s involvement in commercial whaling. They will expect Kyokuyo to act as a good corporate citizen by putting an end to its sale of whale products, and its long and bloody whaling history.

KYOKUYO: INTERNATIONAL FISHING CONGLOMERATE

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During the 20th century, the commercial whaling industry decimated whale populations across the globe. In an attempt to manage the whaling industry, the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) was agreed in 1946, and the IWC was established. The Convention was signed and ratified by all the major whaling nations. Repeated attempts by the IWC to control commercial hunting through quota and size restrictions failed, and by the 1970s, most species of great whale had been catastrophically depleted. In 1982, the IWC agreed to a moratorium on all commercial whaling to take effect in 1986, setting zero catch quotas for all the great whales listed under the ICRW. In support of the moratorium, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) also banned international trade in the products of all the great whale species that were not already fully protected under CITES. These conservation measures remain in place today, despite continued whaling by Japan, Norway and Iceland.

THE INTERNATIONAL BAN ON COMMERCIAL WHALING

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Total Antarctic catch byKyokuyo

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With total annual sales on the order of $250 million and over 700 employees, True World Foods, Inc. is the self-described “premier” seafood and sushi distributor in the U.S.19 Through a recent partnership with Kyokuyo, True World Foods is playing a fundamental role in Kyokuyo’s expansion into international markets, and is therefore supporting a company that is critical to Japan’s whalemeat trade. Established in Brooklyn, New York in 1975 as New York Fish House, True World Foods is currently headquartered in Elizabeth, New Jersey.20 Since its establishment, the company has steadily expanded, and now has over 20 independent offices.21 According to True World Foods, its fleet of refrigerated trucks delivers raw fish to 6,000 sushi and fine-dining restaurants nationwide.22

In 2002, it sold over 250,000 pounds of tuna from one plant alone, and its Alaska plant processes more than 20 million pounds of salmon, cod and pollock each year.23,24 Its International Lobster operation in Gloucester, Massachusetts ships monkfish and lobster around the world from a 25,000-square-foot cold storage facility—which is among the largest on the East Coast.25

In 2006, True World Foods announced a new partnership with Kyokuyo Co., Ltd. The companies are introducing a new line of products called “Polar Seas Frozen Sushi.” 26

This “marriage” of the two companies, which True World Foods describes as “ideal,” 27 is clearly part of Kyokuyo’s stated aim to supply frozen sushi worldwide—particularly to the U.S. and Europe.

Indeed, True World Foods and Kyokuyo have big plans for Polar Seas Frozen Sushi. Polar Seas Frozen Sushi was the centerpiece of True World Foods’ marketing display at the 2007 Boston International Seafood Show. True World Foods representatives told EIA that the product has already been placed in about 300 Food Lion stores in North Carolina, and that they are in discussions with such retailers as Costco and Sam’s Club. They hope to have the product on store shelves by June of this year. Is True World Foods aware that Kyokuyo, the company it has partnered with to sell

sushi under the “Polar Seas” brand name, is selling whalemeat in Japan under the same brand name? How will the whale-loving patrons of the many restaurants, supermarkets and other retails establishments across America supplied by True World Foods react when they find out that True World Foods has partnered with a company that has a 70-year history in commercial whaling and the whalemeat trade?

TRUE WORLD FOODS, KYOKUYO AND “POLAR SEAS” FROZEN SUSHI

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Japan’s “research” whaling program was created by the Japanese government—in collaboration with their whaling companies (Kyokuyo, Maruha and Nissui)—in order to maintain a commercial whaling industry while they worked to overturn the moratorium. In 1987, just one year after the moratorium on commercial whaling went into effect, Nippon Kyodo Hogei Co., Ltd. (the whaling company run jointly by the whaling departments of Kyokuyo, Maruha and Nissui) was dissolved. The company’s assets—and many of its employees—were subsequently transferred to a newly established “vessel and crew charter” company in order to circumvent the moratorium. The newly established company was named Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha Ltd.—and each of the three companies retained approximately one-third ownership.28,29 In the same year, the Government of Japan, through the Fisheries Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, established the Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR), and began issuing it with “special permits” to kill whales for “scientific research” in the Antarctic. Kyodo Senpaku is contracted by the ICR and Fisheries Agency to carry out this whaling. Upon completion of the hunts, the ICR consigns Kyodo Senpaku to sell the whalemeat commercially at prices set by the ICR. Some of this catch is distributed at reduced prices to public institutions—including schools—in an effort to dispose of the large stocks of unsold whalemeat. Until last year, Kyokuyo, Nissui and Maruha maintained nearly the same division of ownership in Kyodo Senpaku (roughly one-third each) as they had before the moratorium, and continued to engage in commercial whaling in much the same way as they had before the moratorium. Operating as Kyodo Senpaku, these companies have killed more than 10,000 whales in the twenty years since the moratorium on commercial whaling was implemented.30 In March 2006, faced with intense international consumer pressure to stop whaling, the shareholders of Kyodo Senpaku decided to divest their shares, presumably to avoid further negative publicity. According to Kyodo Senpaku, the shares have been

donated to several so-called “public-interest” corporations, including the ICR.31 Nissui has also pulled out of the processing and distribution of whale products; however, Kyokuyo and Maruha have continued their involvement in the trade. Kyodo Senpaku continues to hunt whales in increasing numbers in the Antarctic and North Pacific, and sells the meat to canning companies (including Kyokuyo), as well as to wholesale markets in Japan. The 2005-2006 Antarctic hunt was the largest since the moratorium, with 853 Antarctic minke whales and 10 fin whales killed.32

KYOKUYO’S SUPPORT FOR JAPAN’S MODERN WHALING INDUSTRY

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As one of the last remaining large-scale distributors of whalemeat in Japan, Kyokuyo plays a key role in Japan’s plan to maintain the infrastructure of the whaling industry, while simultaneously attempting to resuscitate demand for whalemeat and working to overturn the moratorium. The ICR and Japan’s Fisheries Agency contract exclusively with Kyodo Senpaku to carry out the Antarctic and North Pacific “research” whale hunts. The ICR also outlines quotas and prices for the whalemeat, and authorizes Kyodo Senpaku to distribute the catch according to these rules. The total quota is allocated among four main categories with various set prices: (1) products for public service, (2) products for commercial markets (essentially wholesale markets that then sell to retailers, consumers, and restaurants), (3) products for processing, and (4) unstandardized products for distribution to consumers.33 The quota for public service has increased four-fold since 2002 as part of a desperate effort to re-create demand for whalemeat, and to get rid of expanding stockpiles. This quota includes, for example, school lunch programs and promotional tastings at department stores in Japan.34 Of the four quotas, the processing quota has traditionally been the largest portion of the catch, comprising almost 43% of the whalemeat sold in 2004.35 Recent market statistics reveal that the amount of the catch distributed for processing has dropped sharply since Nissui exited the whaling business. None of the 2005/2006 Antarctic catch was distributed for processing, compared to more than 856 tonnes of the catch (45%) from the previous Antarctic season.36 It is clear that a decision by Kyokuyo to stop selling whalemeat could have a significant impact on the processing quota, and on the market for whalemeat in Japan. EIA investigations over the past three years have consistently documented Kyokuyo brand whalemeat being sold in leading supermarket and convenience store chains across Japan. Of the retail outlets surveyed by EIA during this time period, two-thirds have sold, or currently sell, Kyokuyo brand whalemeat (although several leading retail chains which had previously bought Kyokuyo products—such as Ito-Yokado, 7-Eleven and Seiyu—have stopped selling whalemeat). The sheer frequency and volume of Kyokuyo cans on sale in surveyed Japanese stores indicate that Kyokuyo has been Japan’s leading producer of canned whalemeat for years—even before Nissui stopped selling whalemeat. Despite Nissui’s decision to pull out of the whalemeat market, and decisions by major Japanese retailers to stop selling whale products, Kyokuyo continues to sell whalemeat today. As recently as last year, EIA documented the sale of Kyokuyo products at such leading Japanese retailers as Daiei, Hotspar, Circle K, Family Mart and Posful. Indeed, Kyokuyo even appears to be investing in the marketing of these products. Kyokuyo brand whalemeat can now be purchased on the Internet,37 and new products have been developed as recently as spring 2006. A strong signal must be sent to Kyokuyo that investing in the whalemeat trade is bad for business.

THE WHALEMEAT TRADE IN JAPAN & KYOKUYO’S ROLE

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TELL KYOKUYO TO QUIT THE WHALEMEAT BUSINESS!

Kyokuyo America Corporation Seattle Representative Office Mr. Makoto Ishihara, Vice President 1200 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1301 Seattle, WA 98101-3148, U.S.A. Tel: (206) 405-2670; Fax: (206) 405-2671 Email: mishihara@kyokuyoamerica.com Amsterdam Representative Office Mr. Yoshiyuki Takano Tower-F,4th Floor,WTC Schiphol Airport Schiphol Boulevard 193 1118BG Luchthaven Schiphol The Netherlands Tel: +31 20 4059060 Email: takano@kyokuyo-eu.com/info@kyokuyo-eu.com

TELL TRUE WORLD FOODS TO END ITS ASSOCIATION WITH WHALING!

True World Foods Corporate Headquarters Takeshi Yashiro, CEO Chief Executive Officer 32-34 Papetti Plaza, Elizabeth, New Jersey 07207 Tel: 1-800-486-3474; (908) 351-1400 Fax: (908) 351-8465 Email: info@trueworldfoods.com

True World Foods Satellites Chicago 950 Chase Avenue Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 Tel: (847) 718-0088; Fax: (847) 718-0011 Denver 6727 East 50th Street Commerce City, CO 80022 Tel: (303) 227-1344: Fax: (303) 227-1322 Seattle 1501 South 92nd Place Seattle, WA 98108 Tel: (206) 766-8006; Fax: (206) 766-8176 Portland 301 East Grand Boulevard Vancouver, Washington 98661 Tel: (360) 695-9577; Fax: (360) 695-9578 San Francisco 1815 Williams St. San Leandro, CA 94577 Tel: (510) 352-8081; Fax: (510) 895-5544 Los Angeles 4200 S. Alameda Street Vernon, CA 90058 Tel: (323) 846-3300; Fax: (323) 232-5694

Hawaii 2696 WaiWai Loop Honolulu, HI 96819 Phone: (808) 836-3222; Fax: (808) 833-4510 Vancouver 12417 #2 Road, Unit #155, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada V7E 6H7 Tel: (604) 878-1994; Fax: (604) 275-3265 Gloucester True World Foods, Inc d/b/a International Lobster 111 East Main Street Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930 Phone: (978) 283-1324; Fax : (978) 283-3058 New York 481 8th Ave. Ste 618 New York, NY 10001-1809 Tel: (212) 244-7180; Fax: (212) 868-0002 Washington, DC 3331 75th Avenue Landover, Maryland 20785 Phone: (301) 386-5355; Fax : (301) 386-5360 Boston 22 Foodmart Road Boston, Mass. 02118 Tel: (617) 269-9988; Fax: (617) 268-8986 Raleigh, North Carolina 9521 Lumley Rd. Raleigh, NC 27617 Tel: (919) 782-5838 Miami 11205 North West 36th Avenue Corner of 36th Avenue and 112th Street Miami, Florida 33167 Tel: (305) 687-4303; Fax: (305) 687-0747 Dallas 8919 Governors Row Dallas, Texas 75247 Tel: (214) 887-8009; Fax: (214) 887-8098 Atlanta 3550 Broad Street, Suite J Chamblee, GA 0341 Tel: (770) 455-9504; Fax: (770) 455-9520 Detroit Tel: (734) 425-5748 Phoenix Tel: (480) 377-8783

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In 1994, the IWC voted by a majority of 23 to 1 to designate the entire Southern Ocean as a whale sanctuary. In spite of almost universal support for the Southern Ocean Sanctuary within the IWC, Japan registered an objection to the designation regarding minke whales, while accepting that the designation applied to all other species of whales, including fin and humpback whales. In the same year, the government of Japan authorized the expansion of its hunt to include minke whales in the Pacific Ocean. It also continued its Antarctic hunts in the Southern Ocean, and increased the number of minkes caught. Since 1987, Kyodo Senpaku has killed nearly 7,000 minke whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.38 There is now concern regarding the status of Antarctic minke whales. Recent abundance estimates reported by the IWC Scientific Committee suggest that the whale population may have suffered an abrupt decline over the last decade, or alternatively that consecutive abundance surveys have not been comparable, rendering population estimates unreliable.39

In November 2005, Japan began to target endangered fin whales, with plans to eventually kill up to 935 Antarctic minke whales, 50 fin whales and 50 humpback whales each year.40 Humpback and fin whale populations were severely depleted by commercial whaling during the first half of the 20th century. Historic whaling

records show Kyokuyo hunted nearly 37,000 fin whales, and almost 1,000 humpbacks prior to the moratorium on commercial whaling.41

Today, humpback whales are thought to number as few as 10,000 in the southern hemisphere, and are listed as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). These charismatic creatures form the backbone of the billion dollar-a-year whalewatching industry, a recreational activity enjoyed by over nine million people in 87 countries and territories.42 Precise estimates of fin whale populations in the Southern Ocean are unknown; however, they are listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union.

WHALING IN THE SOUTHERN OCEAN SANCTUARY

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CONCLUSION EIA is calling on True World Foods to use its influence to persuade its partner, Kyokuyo, to immediately withdraw from all purchasing, processing, sale and distribution of whale products. The government of Japan, in contravention of a twenty-year-old ban on commercial whaling, continues to expand its whale hunts in order to keep its whaling industry afloat until it can overturn the IWC moratorium. This hunt is now targeting endangered fin whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Soon humpback whales will be at the mercy of Japanese harpoon guns. Kyokuyo has played a significant role in Japan’s appalling history of commercial whaling, and continues to aid the

government of Japan in propping up a dying industry by selling and distributing whalemeat. While Kyokuyo’s recent divestment of shares means that it is no longer carrying out whaling, it continues to be the largest producer of canned whalemeat, and as such, plays a significant role in Japan’s current whaling industry and fu-ture plans to expand it. Kyokuyo’s American and European customer bases are overwhelmingly in support of protecting whales. EIA strongly urges True World Foods to help bring an end to the ongoing slaughter of whales in Japan by persuading Kyokuyo to pull out of the whaling business for good.

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(1) IWC whaling records International Whaling Commission individual catch database version 2, October 2005, courtesy of C. Allison; and International Whaling Commission

historical catch database: Antarctic humpback whale catches by expedition 1904—1972; Antarctic fin whale catches by expedition 1904—1975. Accessed 15th March 2005, courtesy C. Allison.

(2) Website of the International Whaling Commission. Special Permit Catches Since 1985. Internet. 14 February 2007. (3) In 2005, EIA led a campaign targeting U.S. seafood giant Gorton’s of Gloucester and its ties to Nippon Suisan, one of the other corporate shareholders in Kyodo Senpaku. (4) Hoovers, Inc. Internet. 14 February 2007. (5) Polar Seas Frozen Sushi. Brochure by Kyokuyo Co. Ltd of Japan and True World Foods, Inc. (6) IWC whaling records International Whaling Commission individual catch database version 2, October 2005, courtesy of C. Allison; and International Whaling Commission

historical catch database: Antarctic humpback whale catches by expedition 1904—1972; Antarctic fin whale catches by expedition 1904—1975. Accessed 15th March 2005, courtesy C. Allison.

(7) Lloyd’s ship registry: House Flags of Japanese Shipping Companies – Kyokuyo Hogei. See also Kyokuyo website, Message from the President. (8) IWC whaling records International Whaling Commission individual catch database version 2, October 2005, courtesy of C. Allison; and International Whaling Commission

historical catch database: Antarctic humpback whale catches by expedition 1904—1972; Antarctic fin whale catches by expedition 1904—1975. Accessed 15th March 2005, courtesy C. Allison.

(9) Ibid. (10) Ibid. (11) ReferenceforBusiness.com. Kyokuyo Company Ltd. - Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on Kyokuyo Company Ltd. Internet. 14 February

2007. (12) IWC whaling records International Whaling Commission individual catch database version 2, October 2005, courtesy of C. Allison; and International Whaling Commission

historical catch database: Antarctic humpback whale catches by expedition 1904—1972; Antarctic fin whale catches by expedition 1904—1975. Accessed 15th March 2005, courtesy C. Allison.

(13) Hoover's Database, Hoover No. 56816. (14) Ibid. (15) Kyokuyo. 83rd Fiscal Term Business Report. April 1, 2005 to March 31, 2006. Expansion of Overseas Bases. (16) Ibid. (17) Ibid. (18) Ibid. (19) True World Foods website. Homepage. Internet. 17 February 2007. (20) Ibid. (21) Ibid. (22) Ibid. (23) Chicago Tribune Special Report. Sushi and Rev. Moon: How Americans’ growing appetite for sushi is helping to support his controversial church. By Monica Eng, Delroy

Alexander and David Jackson. Published April 11, 2006. (24) The Star Ledger. Fish Tale: The Big Ones That Didn’t Get Away are Yours for the Shouting. By Brooke Tarabour. Published 19 February 2003. (25) Chicago Tribune Special Report. Sushi and Rev. Moon: How Americans’ growing appetite for sushi is helping to support his controversial church. By Monica Eng, Delroy

Alexander and David Jackson. Published April 11, 2006. (26) True World Foods website. Homepage. Internet 17 February 2007. http://www.trueworldfoods.com/. (27) Ibid. (28) History of Japanese Commercial Whaling.Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society web site. Internet. November 25, 2005. (29) Institute of Cetacean Research, The standards of the sale and handling of by-products of cetacean research hunting project, amendment Sept 2001. (30) International Whaling Commission Special Permit Catches Since 1985. (31) Kyodo Senpaku Changes its Shareholder Composition. Press Release. Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha. 24 March 2006. (32) International Whaling Commission Special Permit Catches Since 1985. (33) Policies governing the distribution of by-products from scientific and small-scale coastal whaling in Japan. Aiko Endo, Masahiro Yamao. Department of Bioresource Science,

Graduate School of Biosphere Science, Hiroshima University, 1-4-4 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8528, Japan Received 25 April 2006; accepted 16 June 2006. (34) Ibid. (35) Ibid. (36) Ibid. (37) Kyokuyo brand whalemeat products are available for sale at: www.rakuten.co.jp. (38) Special Permit Catches (JARPA & JARPN offshore) since 2001 according to Japanese progress to the IWC Scientific Committee and the JWA News No 12, Sept 2005: 2001-

599; 2002-684; 2003-650; 2004-643; 2005-255 (39) International Whaling Commission. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management. Editorial summarizing the 2005 Scientific Committee Meeting. Comprehensive Assess-

ment of Whale Stocks. Antarctic Minke Whales. (40) Report of the Scientific Committee. International Whaling Commission meeting 57. IWC/57/REP1. (41) IWC whaling records International Whaling Commission individual catch database version 2, October 2005, courtesy of C. Allison; and International Whaling Commission

historical catch database: Antarctic humpback whale catches by expedition 1904—1972; Antarctic fin whale catches by expedition 1904—1975. Accessed 15th March 2005, courtesy C. Allison.

(42) Whale Watching 2001. Worldwide Tourism Numbers, Expenditures,and Expanding Socioeconomic Benefits. A special report from the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

REFERENCES

This report was researched and produced by the US office of the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). EIA is solely and entirely responsible for the contents of this report. EIA wishes to thank the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW www.ifaw.org) for its support in the research and production of this report. EIA also wishes to thank two anonymous donors for their generous support . EIA US Office P.O. Box 53343 Washington, DC 20009 United States of America usinfo@eia-international.org tel +1 202 483 6621 Fax +1 202 986 8626 www.eia-global.org EIA UK Office 62-63 Upper Street, London, N1 0NY, United Kingdom tel +44 (0)20 7354 7960 Fax +44 (0)20 7354 7961 www.eia-international.org