Not so. The Japanese are hunting whales for PROFIT, and not doing well at all. There is a GLUT of whalemeat in Japan, a 5000 ton stockpile.
From a Feb 2013 article : "In the last year, Japan’s ICR has tried selling its whale meat in well-publicized auctions. Here’s how well that’s gone:
Though Loftsson reportedly stopped hunting fin whales in 2012, Iceland’s increased fin whale 2013 quota hints that it might start exporting to Japan once again.
Even if it doesn’t, though, Japan’s whale meat oversupply persists. Now nearly 5,000 tonnes of whale meat (pdf, p. 2) is sitting in stockpiles, according to IFAW."
Read the full article here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/iceland-broke-japanese-whale-meat-230537748.html
So Seashepherd is actually doing Japan a service, saving it from having to store rotting whale meat....and having to pay subsidies to whalers for killing whales just to waste. If thats not a good reason to stop whaling, I dont know what is.
