NZ pushes whale-watch in Japan

The Government will push the benefits of whale-watching directly to the Japanese people as it tries to get their Government to quit whaling, says Conservation Minister Chris Carter.

He launched a report yesterday showing the economic benefits of the whale- and dolphin-watching industry.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) report said the industry was worth $120 million to the economy last year.

The IFAW and Mr Carter said the report showed the importance of stopping whaling.

"The biggest threat to our multimillion-dollar industry is the threat of increased whaling," Mr Carter said.

"New Zealand will be extremely active in trying to stave off this threat at this year's International Whaling Commission meeting."

The release of the report coincided with Prime Minister Helen Clark's visit to Japan, where she yesterday urged the country to stay in the commission.

Japan may withdraw because of criticism about plans to expand its whaling programme to include humpback and fin whales.

New Zealand is also taking part in an international diplomatic campaign or "demarche", where 10 countries yesterday made statements to their local Japanese embassies on the matter.

Japan, Norway and Iceland are the main whaling countries.

IFAW figures showed Japan killed up to 440 minke whales in the Antarctic for "scientific" reasons and intends to increase the catch to more than 800 as well as adding the new species.

It says it catches whales for scientific purposes, but whale meat is sold in shops.

Only a small number of humpbacks - about 2000 - of the total of about 15,000 migrate past New Zealand to Tonga for breeding.

"Japan is proposing to annually kill 80 humpbacks," Mr Carter said.

"That could have a very dramatic impact on the numbers coming past New Zealand."

Japan has a strong environmental movement and a budding whale-watch industry.

"We certainly will be publicising our study to encourage communities in Japan to look at this as an opportunity as well," said Mr Carter.

"We can now demonstrate conclusively that living whales are much more valuable than dead ones.

"I think that will be a strong argument in Japan."

Mr Carter said New Zealand was concerned that Japan had targeted "poor Pacific nations", offering development aid in return for their political support on international bodies.

IFAW Asia Pacific director Michael McIntyre said whale-watching had become a $1 billion industry that attracted more than nine million participants in 87 countries and territories.

"Countries like New Zealand that had the forward thinking over four years ago to protect whales are now benefiting from that forward thinking."

Mr McIntyre said 24,000 whales had been killed since a moratorium came into effect in 1986.

- NZPA

Leviathan returns

* More than 425,000 people went whale/dolphin watching last year - almost double the 1998 figure of 230,000.
* Estimated direct expenditure on whale- and dolphin-watch tourism has more than doubled over the period to $33 million.
* Total spending for the industry was almost $120 million last year.