Cetacean By-Catch in the Korean Peninsula—by Chance or by Design?

Abstract

Whaling remains one of the most contentious issues in global conservation. In South Korea, where commercial and subsistence whaling are both illegal, domestic sales of cetacean products such as skin, blubber and red meat are allowed if they are accidently caught. However, environmental groups have claimed that the high price of meat may be acting as an incentive for illegal hunting and 'deliberate by-catch' where whales are intentionally killed or left to die by fishermen when they become trapped in their nets. In this paper we investigate the issue of deliberate by-catch and illegal hunting of the protected Minke J-stock population in Korean waters using grounded theory, an approach that allows theories and understanding to emerge from the analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Our research suggests that deliberate bycatch is almost certainly taking place but that illegal hunting and/or illegal importation from Japan may be far more significant sources of Minke whale meat. We discuss possible measures to reduce incentives for deliberate bycatch and illegal hunting such as the introduction of mandatory reporting of quantities supplied and consumed in restaurants and a tax on meat sales at auction. More generally, our research illustrates how the analysis of price movements can shed light on the scale of illegal wildlife trade and how a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methodologies can provide understanding of a complex, multifaceted conservation issue.

Towards informed and multi-faceted wildlife trade interventions

“…Although data on the profitability of illicit trades is difficult to obtain, sharp increases in the price of rhino horn followed the 1977 rhino trade ban, as did poaching and speculative stockpiling of horns, apparently due to the high profits that could be made, and which led to the local extinction of Black rhino (Diceros bicornis) in at least 18 range states ('t Sas-Rolfes, 2000;Leader-Williams, 2003). Steep price increases for whale meat were also apparent following the government crackdown on whaling in Korea in 2004, and prices for a number of high-value CITES-listed species are currently increasing (MacMillan and Han, 2011;Challender and MacMillan, 2014). Also, the surreptitious nature of this trade frustrates assessments of sustainability, with knowledge typically limited to seizures or data from market surveys, and is a major concern, especially for species where trade is primarily illegal (e.g., Asian pangolins; Nijman, 2010 andBarber-Meyer, 2010).…”

Marine mammal bycatch in gillnet and other entangling net fisheries, 1990 to 2011

“…Of 214 investigated entanglements of minke whales in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) between 2004 and 2007, about 65, or 30%, of the whales were judged to have been caught in float lines from gillnets (Song et al 2010). The concept of 'bycatch' in South Korea is confounded by the high commercial value of whale meat and the possibility that nets are sometimes deployed with intent to capture whales (MacMillan & Han 2011). Importantly, as well, the minke whales taken in Korean waters are part of an unusual autumn-breeding population, the Sea of Japan − Yellow Sea − East China Sea stock, commonly known as J-stock, which has been of concern for many years in view of historical removals by whaling, ongoing 'research whaling' by Japan, and the relatively large ongoing bycatches in Korea, Japan, and possibly China (Reilly et al 2008).…”

Understanding carnivore killing behaviour: Exploring the motivations for tiger killing in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh

“…The results demonstrate the complexity of carnivore killing behaviour and highlight the need for conservation action to be built on a better understanding of, and to address effectively, human behaviour. However, collecting reliable data on the incidence of and motivations for conservation-related human behaviours can be extremely difficult (MacMillan and Han, 2011;St John et al, 2012). This research shows that in-depth qualitative research and broad scale quantitative surveys can, in combination, provide useful insight into carnivore killing behaviour.…”