We should be outraged by Europe slaughtering sea life in the name of 'science' | George Monbiot

While we focus our anger on Japan using 'scientific research' as an excuse to kill marine life, Europe is doing the same thing under our noses with electric pulse trawling, with potentially disastrous effectsOne of the biggest jokes in conservation is the Japanese government's claim to be engaged in "scientific whaling". All the killing by its harpoon fleet takes place under the guise of "research", as this is the only justification available, under international rules.According to Joji Morishita, a diplomat representing Japan at the whaling negotiations, this "research programme" has produced 666 scientific papers. While we must respect Mr Morishita's right to invoke the number of the Beast, which may on this occasion be appropriate, during its investigation of Japanese whaling, the International Court of Justice discovered that the entire "research programme" had actually generated just two peer-reviewed papers, which used data from the carcasses of nine whales. Continue reading...