China News Service, April 3-According to Kyodo News Agency of Japan, two small whaling boats set off from the fishing port in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, to catch minke whales in the early morning of the 3rd local time.
This marks the beginning of the third year that Japan has restarted commercial whaling.
According to reports, as of 10 o'clock in the morning that day, 2 heads had been captured.
It is expected that by the beginning of June, they will work along the coast of Aomori, Iwate, and Miyagi prefectures, and then head north to the coast of Hokkaido.
In addition, two fishing boats set out for whaling in Hachinohe City, Aomori Prefecture.
In June, another one will be added from Abashiri, Hokkaido, and a total of five fishing boats are planned to catch 120 fish along the coast of Hokkaido and Sanriku by the end of October.
On June 30, 2019, Japan formally withdrew from the International Whaling Commission and resumed commercial whaling on July 1 of the same year after a lapse of 31 years. The fishing scope is limited to Japanese territorial waters and exclusive economic zones.
In 2020, a total of 95 whales were caught.