But the new vessel's range and size has provoked fears that Japan may return to whaling far off its shores. Watson's crews aggressively harrassed the ships predecessor Nissan Maru in the Southern Ocean. The 9300 ton vessel can process 70 ton fin whales and store 600 tons of meat, enabling it to remain at sea for extended periods. Last year Japanese whalers slaughtered 83 minke, 187 Bryde's and 25 sei whales in Japan's economic zone. Consumption of whale meat is at historic lows--less than one percent of the industry's peak in 1962. The high price of whale meat has discouraged consumers. AFter WWII whale meat was a prized source of protein. In order to claim an exemption from the international ban on commercial whaling, Japan characterized its annual hunts as "scientific". That classification was struck down by the international court of justice and ordered a halt to Japan's whaling in 2014. Japan pulled out of the IWC four years later and stopped hunting in Antarctica.
The Japanese government confirmed it will allow whalers to kill up to 59 fin whales, a species conservationists consider vulnerable to extinction. Kangei Maru is being funded by Japanese taxpayers and the city of Shimonoseki, long the center of the whaling industry. The city feeds whale meat to children at school lunches. A local seafood seller said, "But if the Kangei Maru can bring back good whale meat–not the tough, cheapest parts we used to serve in schools – then we can show children how good it really is.” Get them while they are young!