PhD (General)

Project Title The Views of Young Japanese People Towards Whaling

Project Description

The disagreements about the conservation and protection of whales and the future of whaling between countries engaged in whaling and those that are not are well known, but still poorly understood. Misleading propaganda from some elements of both sides of the whaling debate, selectively picked up by the mass media, results in the present highly polarised situation where communication is floundering upon a sea of international distrust and criticism.

Amongst the powerful voices of international governments, environmental groups and the media, this project is designed to investigate the views of young Japanese people about whaling within their own country. Data will be collected via the use of an online survey available in both English and Japanese.

The young Japanese students of today will develop into the policy makers and environmental managers of tomorrow. Thus, the purpose of this investigation is to understand how young people of Japan feel about whales and whaling at the present time and therefore predict any changes that might occur in whaling ideologies and policies in the near future.

It is hoped that this project will help to bridge gaps that are associated with the modern day whaling debate, through greater diplomatic communication and cross-cultural understanding. In this way, conservation of the marine environment may be promoted by a united front of international communities.

Biography

Having obtained a BSc Marine Biology and MSc Applied Marine Science at the University of Plymouth, southern England, Julia came out to Australia in 2002 and began working aboard a research/dive vessel, named The Undersea Explorer, as a live-in Marine Biologist and Dive Instructor. Julia has been involved in shark tagging and tracking programs, dwarf-minke whale research, deep-sea nautilus tag and recapture programs, and coral reef health monitoring. A Doctorate post taken up in early 2006 at the University of Tasmania gave Julia a chance to combine a keen interest in ocean ecology with a cross-cultural investigation at an international level. Thus, Julia’s primary goal is to provide viable solutions to issues associated with the modern-day whaling debate.

Funding

Julia obtained a Co-Funded Scholarship from the University of Tasmania to complete her Doctoral studies. Funding has also been received from TRG Recycling Group (UK) and The Undersea Explorer. Contact Details:

Telephone: +61 3 6226 2484

E-mail: tjbowett@utas.edu.au