Australia disappointed by Japan's decision to expand whaling target list: minister

CANBERRA -- The Australian government has denounced Japan's decision to expand its commercial whaling.

Tanya Plibersek, minister for the environment and water, on Thursday condemned Japan's move to add fin whales to its list of commercial whalers will target.

"Australia is deeply disappointed by Japan's decision to expand its commercial whaling program by adding fin whales," she said in a statement.

Fin whales are the second-largest whale species in the world and are listed as vulnerable to extinction on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.

Japan's Fisheries Agency in May proposed expanding commercial whaling in the country's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone to include fin whales. In June the agency announced that it has authorized the hunting of up to 59 fin whales in the North Pacific in 2024.

Plibersek said on Thursday that Australia is opposed to all commercial whaling and called for all countries to end the practice.

"Australia's efforts through the International Whaling Commission have contributed to a whaling-free Southern Ocean and a decline in commercial whaling around the world. Australia will continue to advocate for the protection and conservation of whales and the health of our ocean for future generations," she said.