We, the undersigned, are calling for a ban in the sale of whale meat in restaurants across South Korea, after discovering a lucrative illegal whaling industry that takes advantage of a law allowing the sale of whale and dolphin meat from animals caught accidentally in fishing nets (by-catch).

It is currently legal in South Korea for a fisherman to sell the meat from a whale if that whale had accidentally become entangled in fishing net. Fishermen must report these incidents to the Korean Coastguard who, after performing a visual inspection of the body of the whale for harpoon marks and taking DNA samples, issues a certificate allowing the fishermen to sell the whale at auction.

Upon finding a whale entangled in a fishing net, there is little incentive for a fisherman to cut it loose, and with huge profit to be made once the whale dies, it is not surprising that a high by catch rate exists in Korean waters. 33% of all global whale by-catch incidents occur in South Korea (IWC 2009). Whale meat is a lucrative commodity and catching one is referred to as the ‘lottery of the sea’ amongst local fishermen who can earn the equivalent of a six-month salary by selling the meat of just one whale.

However, the law allowing the sale of whales caught as “by-catch” is inviting the poaching of whales in the hundreds. It is believed that fishermen are deploying their nets around whales, returning the next day to recover the bodies, and reporting the incident as accidental. More than one thousand dolphins are also caught in this way every year, with their meat labeled as whale and provided to restaurants. Between 2011 and 2015 close to 10,000 dolphins and whales were killed as “by-catch,” including finless porpoises, common dolphins and minke whales.

The rate of illegal and legal whaling is taking its toll on the local Minke Whale populations. If you consider that approximately 500 whales are killed for their meat in South Korea each year, both legally and illegally, this does not leave much time left for the species if nothing changes.

Dr. Scott Baker from the University of Oregon states that a catch of any more than 50 Minke Whales per year would result in the extinction of the local J-Stock whale population in Korean waters in time to come. At the current rate of legal by-catch (averaging at 76 whales per year over the last five years), Baker insists that the species only has a few more decades left in existence (this is before the consideration of additional whales illegally poached every year in their hundreds).

On May 26th, police announced the raid of a warehouse in Ulsan uncovering $3.4 million USD worth of whale meat, the equivalent of approximately 40 Minke whales. 70% of the meat found was deemed illegal after authorities referred to the national DNA database of legally caught whales, exposing a common practice of mixing legal meat from by- catch with meat from whales caught illegally to avoid persecution. This type of raid is a common occurrence throughout the country, though many of the main coordinators of the illegal poaching and trade remain at large.

“The reason illegal Minke whale hunting hasn’t been eradicated yet is because it’s impossible to satisfy the whale meat demand through the normal channels involving animals that are auctioned off after incidental catching or beaching, and because their scarcity makes business very profitable, with one animal going for anywhere from tens of millions of won to 100 million won (US$85,000)” the police explained. 

Source: http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/745555.html

Out of 23 cases of illegal whaling reported to the International Whaling Commission in 2011, 21 of these occurred in South Korea.

Although whaling has been occurring in South Korea for hundreds of years, it is not supported by a majority of the public, who claim that continuing to eat whale meat is not culturally important, and the illegal trade in whales and dolphins is relatively unknown amongst Koreans outside of the Ulsan and Busan regions. Over half of the approximately 120 whale meat restaurants in the country reside within the city of Ulsan.

There is a growing movement to transition toward cetacean conservation in South Korea, with conservation organizations such as hotpinkdolphins successfully lobbying the South Korean Government on a number of issues relating to the conservation of whales and dolphins, and encouraging education and sustainability during their presence at the Ulsan Whale Festival. As part of a survey undertaken at the Ulsan Whale Festival in 2010, 74.2% of those surveyed recognized a need for cetacean conservation.

Whale watching tours are offered as a part of the Ulsan Whale Festival and present a viable and sustainable alternative to whaling in the country.

 

With evidence against the poachers, and the majority of citizens feeling animosity towards whaling, one might wonder why the illegal “by-catch” practices have yet to be shut down.

“The reason why there is no eradication of whale poachers, even though we catch so many of them each year, is because of the continued existence of whale meat restaurants that sell whale meat at such high prices”, said secretary general Hyung Geun Kim from the Ulsan Federation for Environmental Movement on May 25. “We must get rid of the whale meat culture altogether, and transform the Ulsan Whale Meat Festival into a cultural festival focused on whale-watching ships and whale museums,” he added. 

Please add your details below to help urge the South Korean Government to put a stop to the sale of ALL whale and dolphin meat across South Korea in order to end the illegal poaching of whales and dolphins in Korean waters.