NZ and Oz scientists sail for Antarctica today, on the largest whale research expedition of its kind in the world. They aim to prove whales do not need to be killed to be studied, and to disprove Japan's claim that minke whale numbers are increasing and can therefore be hunted lawfully. Nasty Nippon argues all whales killed are for scientific purposes (not for dinner) and their research cannot be done without slaying them - but this expedition aims to produce non-lethal scientific data. 18 scientists aboard the 2300-tonne NZ research ship Tangaroa, will spend six weeks using biopsy sampling, satellite tracking, acoustic and hydrographic surveys and collecting whale poo, to study the feeding habits, population structure, trends and ecological role of whales.
All eyes will be their preliminary results, to be presented at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in Morocco in June.
PS: 15 March 2010 - they're back...but are they too late?
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