Japan logs 1st catch of year as whaling season begins off Hokkaido

KUSHIRO, Japan, April 2 (Kyodo/APP) : Japan landed the year’s first minke whale catch as the commercial whaling season began off Hokkaido, with two females landed at Nemuro port, according to an industry body.
The two whales were caught off Hokkaido, while another was taken off Aomori Prefecture in northeastern Japan, where the season began in March, the Japan Small-Type Whaling Association said.
The two measured about 8.2 meters and 7.7 meters in length. The company that caught them said the whales will be processed in Kushiro, Hokkaido, and shipped nationwide.
“We were able to catch relatively large whales, marking a smooth start. We hope people across the country will enjoy them,” said Kinya Higashi, operations manager at the Taiji Fisheries Cooperative Association, which jointly conducted the catch.
Japan formally withdrew from the International Whaling Commission in 2019 and resumed commercial whaling that year.
According to the Fisheries Agency, the nationwide catch quota this year is 145 whales, of which 33 are allocated to waters off Nemuro and the Sea of Okhotsk. Last year, 88 whales were caught nationwide against a quota of 144.