Japan under pressure over past hunting of endangered whales

  GENEVA -- Japan insisted Friday it no longer hunts endangered sei whales in international waters, but faced accusations of still violating a wildlife treaty by allowing commercialization of meat from past catches. The standing committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) last October found Japan in breach of the treaty and ordered it to rectify the situation or face trade sanctions. The elected panel, which handles the treaty's compliance and enforcement, dismissed Japan's claims that the cull since 2002 of some 1,500 North Pacific sei whales was only scientifically motivated. Instead, it found that the hu...

Keep on reading: Japan under pressure over past hunting of endangered whales

from INQUIRER.net https://ift.tt/2TEk4cy