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Coast Guard Cracks Down on Minke Whale Catch as Legal Ambiguity Spurs Debate on Ecosystem Preservation

Coast Guard Cracks Down on Minke Whale Catch as Legal Ambiguity Spurs Debate on Ecosystem Preservation

SOKCHO, Nov. 16 (Korea Bizwire) – Minke whales are often referred to as the ‘Lotto of the Sea’ among fishermen in South Korea. In recent days, a series of cases have been reported where minke whales, incidentally caught in waters off the east coast city of Gangwon, were sold for tens of millions of won.  Under [...]

Majority of S. Korean Whale Meat Consumers Want Whaling to Stop

Majority of S. Korean Whale Meat Consumers Want Whaling to Stop

ULSAN, March 22 (Korea Bizwire) — “Though whale meat that is illicitly procured and sold is thought of negatively by South Korean consumers, they buy it without having the means of confirming whether the meat has been gotten through legal channels.” Bradley Tatar, a professor at UNIST and the first non-Korean scholar to analyze Ulsan’s [...]

Minke Whales Sell for High Prices Despite Ban

Minke Whales Sell for High Prices Despite Ban

POHANG, South Korea, March 23 (Korea Bizwire) – Although poaching whales is illegal in South Korea, exceptions are made for incidental catch of the sea mammals, including minke whales.  According to the Cetacean Research Center, 352 minke whales were caught in South Korean waters from 2012 to 2016 as a result of incidental catch. The [...]

Korean Fishermen Continue Brutal Whale Hunts Despite International Ban

Korean Fishermen Continue Brutal Whale Hunts Despite International Ban

SEOUL, May 26 (Korea Bizwire) – Korean poachers have been relentlessly pursuing minke whales, called the ‘Lotto of Oceans’ by fishermen, due to the stratospheric prices they often fetch – a single minke whale can sell for between 30 million won and 60 million won. Market prices for minke whales have skyrocketed since 1986, when the [...]

Why Do Large Mammals Such as Minke Whales Rarely Get Cancer?

Why Do Large Mammals Such as Minke Whales Rarely Get Cancer?

SEOUL, May 19 (Korea Bizwire) – For the first time in history, Korean researchers have analyzed the correlation between minke whale DNA and microsatellites (DNA sections in which genetic bases repeat two to six units and increase the likelihood of mutant genes), and have discovered the reason why large mammals are less susceptible to cancer.  [...]