Regarding Misao Nakaya's Dec. 4 letter, "Hold your beef about whale meat": Nakaya argues that the consumption of whale meat is necessary to combat fish shortages. It appears to me, however, that this claim simply parrots the so-called science of the Japanese whaling industry.
If it has become "harder for us to have fish for meals," it is not because of whales but rather human activity. International studies have shown that seafood shortages are the result of overfishing and its damage to ocean ecosystems.
It seems ironic that the reader condemns America for "wasting the precious resources of the Earth." As the world's largest consumer market for fish, I wonder if it is easier for Japan to pin the blame on whales rather than look in the mirror.
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