U.S., three other countries oppose commercial whaling

The United States, Australia, the Netherlands and New Zealand on Tuesday voiced their opposition to commercial whaling, expressing disappointment about the recent departure of a Japanese whaling fleet for the Southern Ocean and denouncing any actions that imperil human life.In a joint statement, the governments of the four countries said they "jointly condemn any actions that imperil human life in the Southern Ocean," as they are "deeply concerned that confrontations in the Southern Ocean will eventually lead to injury or loss of life among protestors, many of whom are nationals of our countries, and whaling crews." "We remain resolute in our opposition to commercial whaling, including so-called 'scientific whaling,' in particular in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary established by the International Whaling Commission, and are disappointed about the recent departure of the Japanese whaling fleet for the Southern Ocean," they added. Japan's whaling fleet has set sail for the country's annual hunt in Antarctica, with security beefed up amid international protests.As whale-hunting nation, Japan introduced "scientific whaling" to skirt a commercial whaling ban after a 1986 international moratorium, although it does little to hide the fact that whale still appears on the menu in many Japanese restaurants. Japan kills hundreds of whales a year in the Antarctic waters. As Japan's whaling season approaches, anti-whaling activists around the world stage protests and send anti-whaling ships to try to stop Japan's program. Australian Environment Minister Tony Burke said last week that his country would not buy Japan's argument, and that whaling in the Southern Ocean is wrong and unlawful.Australia filed a complaint against Japan last year at the International Court of Justice in the Hague to stop Southern Ocean whaling. A ruling is not expected until at least 2013. Calling on masters of all vessels in the Southern Ocean to take responsibility for ensuring safety of human life at sea as their highest priority, the four nations said they are "prepared to deal with any unlawful activity in accordance with relevant international and domestic laws."They also said they remain committed to improving the conservation status of whales worldwide, maintaining the International Whaling Commission's global moratorium on commercial whaling, as well as promoting "meaningful reform" of the International Whaling Commission.