さあ！諸君！捕鯨問題だ！

>人口約４０万人のマルタでは、００年に日本企業の発注で蓄養が始まった。

三菱商事には個人的にも知り合いがいるし、ここでも大西洋まぐろ類
保存国際委員会に対してクロマグロの耳石（otoliths）調査協力を
申し出をしたり、資金提供の可能性をきり出しているので
あまり悪評になるような引用の仕方はしたくないのだけれど…

CITES開会前後の赤松農水相の記者会見発言とあまりにも
ギャップがあるので。

農水相は、「日本の漁船が32？隻ほど行っているけれど、
みんな大西洋の外の方で、地中海には入っていないから
直接的な影響は…」てなこと言ってたわけね。

ところが、ICCAT調査統計運営委員会の2009年版レポートを
見ると、ちゃんと三菱商事の母船がマルタ島の近くにいて、
巻網で地中海地方のいろんな国籍の船が捕ったマグロを
買い集めているのだな。

なにしろ最大手だから、地中海産巻網クロマグロの35−40％
も買ってます。

近頃ではICCATサイトで検索すると、どういう船がどういうマグロ関係の
作業をどこでやってるのか、というのがある程度わかるの
ですが、このICCAT科学委員がマルタで三菱マグロ母船を
訪問するということになっている2009年10月に、地中海に
入ってる日本船籍あるいは日本政府が責任報告国になっている
マグロ母船というのはないですね。

便宜置籍船か、パナマあたりの冷凍船をチャーターしてるんで
しょう。こういうふうに把握、報告責任上の穴ができてしまうから、
便宜置籍船というのはやめるべきだとFAOあたりでも前から
言ってるんですけどね。

いずれにしても、遠洋漁業利権にうとい赤松さんあたりだと、
まだこういうところの問題は見えてきてないのでしょう。

http://www.iccat.int/Documents/BienRep/REP_EN_08-09_II_2.pdf
R E P O R T 　 for biennial period, 2008-09
PART II (2009) - Vol. 2 　 English version SCRS（11ページ）

8.2 Meeting with Mitsubishi officials
In August, 2009, the SCRS Chairman was contacted by staff from Mitsubishi Corporation's commercial Tuna
Section and from their CSR & Environmental Affairs Office, regarding their potential interest in contributing to
the Research Program for bluefin tuna. Taking advantage of the fact that the Working Group on the Future of
ICCAT was meeting in Sapporo (Japan), a meeting was held on September 3, to initiate discussions on how
Mitsubishi could assist. This meeting was attended by Drs. G. Scott, N. Miyabe (Japan) and V. Restrepo on the
ICCAT scientific side and by four Mitsubishi staff members. The scientists noted that the contribution, that
could be very useful and easily implemented in the short term, would facilitate access to fish for biological
sampling. Mitsubishi purchases 35%-40% of the purse-seine caught Atlantic (Mediterranean) bluefin, and
therefore having access to these fish would be important. It was explained to them that otoliths were of major
interest as well as other tissue samples which could also be of interest. The Mitsubishi representatives offered
their full support to this initiative, and recommended that a visit be made to their factory vessel in Malta in early
October to examine the feasibility of sending an observer to collect samples on board. Based on that experience,
the idea would then be to implement more extensive sampling. Mitsubishi also suggested that their own people
could take samples if they were correctly trained and if it did not greatly disrupt the chain of processing. In
addition, they suggested that some samples could be taken from their retailers in Japan for fish that are imported
with heads, and possibly for longline-caught bluefin.

Mitsubishi is also potentially interested in making a financial contribution to the research program in the future.
However, it was agreed that in the immediate future it would be a good idea to make quick progress on
biological sampling. It is suggested that a visit to Malta be made during the week of October 12, immediately
after the SCRS. The visit should be attended by a few SCRS scientists and someone from