Japan to commence the killing of 1000 whales including the protected humpback

[66'Goat 0]

Sound like what we need are water mines that only explode when they touch boat metal, so as to avoid going foof when an animal (whale) gets too near. now if only they can be made and programmed to only go foof on certain (whaling) boats. Not actually kaboom and hurtin people (tho the idea of doing bodily harm to people who kill whales does me happy in a sick kinda way), but just enough to make the ship inoperable.

[confused04 14]

Originally posted by: Palpatine001

Again girls, you industrial made lipstick is not extactly helping the whales herequote>

They ceased that form of production when whaling became inefficient and in too low of quantities for mass marketing. Generally its been moved to other forms of wax. 

I'm actually quite neutral on this matter... the biologist in me of course screams the typical environmentalist rhetoric. But that same side tells me that despite their size, their impact is limited. If anything, it could create a boon for other fish populations as krill will be more available, not that this has been too much of a problem, but surplus foods lead to population growth.  My only concern is the loss of whale fall habitats. I'm not sure how many of you realize what happens to a whale after it dies....

It creates an ocean floor oasis that allows gene transfer between isolated sea floor communities such as hydrothermal vents. If this culling is long lasting and inappropriately managed, than yes, there is a severe risk of loosing these "whale fall" habitats which are amazingly diverse.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_fall

There's a nice little bit of info, pretty cursory, but it gets the job done.

[Yeah_Right 2]

well, if it is a way of life for the japs, then who are we to stop them? if we stopped them, then the fishermen would most likely be unemployed and wont be able to feed their families. Who would you rather have suffer? A poor little son of a fisherman's? or a big whale?

[Sam 163]

Originally posted by: confused04

...

 But that same side tells me that despite their size, their impact is limited. If anything, it could create a boon for other fish populations as krill will be more available, not that this has been too much of a problem, but surplus foods lead to population growth. 

...quote>

This is one of the arguments that pro-whalers put forward in favour of whaling. However whales are quite different to other fisheries stocks. Whales usually only produce one off-spring at a time, and usually at most every two years. They also take a long time to reach maturity. This contrasts to most commercial fisheries species which spawn large numbers of off-spring each year (eg prawns, whiting and other species). With many of these other species the size of the parent cohort does not necessarily affect the size of the offspring cohort, so the parent cohort can be fished quite heavily , and still result in a healthy population and a decent catch the next season. However if you try the same thing with whales you will rapidly drive the populations extinct. We've already seen that the various whale populations cannot survive sustained commercial harvesting.

Many whale populations are also migratory, which means that their impact is felt on more than one country, and each of these countries consider the whales a resource. However its the sharing of a resource which tends to cause the most problems in fisheries management. In the case of the current situation, the Australians feel very strongly about the whales of the southern populations. They are culturally respected, and also are the basis of a thriving tourism industry. Apart from the cultural implications of whaling to the Australian people, whaling would also impact heavily on the commercial tourist industry that has grown up around them.

The Japanese whalers cannot claim cultural or traditional hunting of the southern whale populations because the southern populations are not those that were ever traditionally hunted by the Japanese or other northern hemisphere nations. They are distinct from the northern hemisphere whale populations. These populations are however a part of the tradition, culture and economy of other nations, such as Australia and New Zealand.

[belfastuniguy 18]

well, if it is a way of life for the japs, then who are we to stop them? if we stopped them, then the fishermen would most likely be unemployed and wont be able to feed their families. Who would you rather have suffer? A poor little son of a fisherman's? or a big whale?quote>

That's not an excuse. Japanese traditional whaling has taken place ib Japanese waters and not on this industrial scale. Japan has no right whatsoever to sail into the southern oceans and harpoon 1000 whales. That is not tradition is pure greed and an inability to move on in the modern world.

Whaling is no longer a way of life in Japan it employs a tiny amount of peope, they are whaling for money and nothing else.

Who would you rather have suffer? A poor little son of a fisherman's? or a big whale?quote>

Happens every day around the world whether it be fishermen, car workers, steel manufactures or whatever. Doesn't bother me, so yes I would rather see that than see the brutal killing of whales for the sake of the Japanese palette..........

[krbe 193]

Originally posted by: belfastuniguy Japan has no right whatsoever to sail into the southern oceans and harpoon 1000 whales. That is not tradition is pure greed and an inability to move on in the modern world.quote>

Oh yes they do. Unless they have signed some sort of treaty forbidding them to hunt whales. And if they have, they may do it for scientific reasons. Especially if they were threatened to drop their objections.

[ilikehotdogsalot 311]

Last time I checked, you

[bixel 1,228]

Hey guys, the Whale industry demands that there is a demand for whale (meat/blubber/oil). That doesn't mean it exists, in fact the government recently found that there is too much whale on the market and that companies inorder to try and get rid of the stuff have been found putting it into cat food. So no there is no starving Japanese people that absolutely must have whale meat.

you want something to read? this has been cited over 5 years now - June 18 2003 at 02:27PM!!!

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=31&art_id=qw1055939221628B251&set_id=1

why whalers won

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/tony_juniper/2006/06/must_we_buy_countries_support.html

more on too much whale meat

http://www.bluevoice.org/sections/whales/whaling-PetFood.shtml

So why all the whale meat? Its almost the same thing as to why the US produces million of gallons of milk more than what is actually needed or ever sold. In the US the government has agreed to buy the extra milk and eggs, as a security to a farmer's depression. It used to be after the depression that the cost of making milk and eggs (the cost of herding cows) was high and the demand for milk and eggs fell simply because there were cheaper alternatives to buying milk and eggs when you are extremely poor. Water and oats for instance.

Farmers were scared to lose their land and their occupation so the government stepped in to 'help' them by guarantee-ing products will be bought no matter the demand. This continues today - but incredulously there are hardly any real farmers out there but large corporations - yet they still benefit from this quirky handout.

In the case of the whalers, again we have an occupation and they want to continue it, but they are flooding the market and there are just too many whalers. Also the technological feat of whaling is so advanced the amount of whale collected is of a huge magnitude greater than the past. So not only can they kill whales more effectively, they can also get the a larger 'catch of the day' than ever before. Business for whalers though will not kill itself regardless of how much whale is on the market simply because now that whale meat is so incredibly cheap and abundant it is more cost effective to substitute traditional foods with whale meat as 'filler'. Thus you have whale meat in cat food/dog food.

It is an extreme tragedy but incredulously whalers in Japan make their case in such a crying poor poor us whalers attitude the Japan government has a hard time seeing the reality of the situation.

[krbe 193]

Originally posted by: ilikehotdogsalot Last time I checked, you

[Yoman3 5]

Yar!! Sink the whaling fleet with exocets

[belfastuniguy 18]

Japan fleet misses whaling target

Japan's whaling fleet was followed by protesters to the Antarctic

Japan's whaling fleet has failed to catch its quota, after being disrupted by clashes with anti-hunting activists.

The fisheries agency said the fleet caught 60% of the minke whales they had planned - 551 from a target of 850.

The ships, which were followed around the Antarctic by activists, are due to return to port in the next few days.

The BBC's Chris Hogg, in Tokyo, said it was the first time in 20 years that protests had prevented the whalers from reaching their targets.

Japan's fleet set sail for the Antarctic last November. But officials said they lost 31 days of hunting as a result of the protests.

"Sabotage by activists is a major factor behind our failure to achieve our target," a fisheries agency official said.

Repeated attacks

Environmental group Greenpeace, which tailed the whalers for weeks, said it was disappointed the fleet had still managed to cull so many animals.

Greenpeace pointed out that this year's quota was much higher than in previous years.

Despite missing their target, this means the Japanese have still killed far more whales this year than three years ago, the group said.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society - which was involved in violent clashes with the whalers - claimed its campaign saved hundreds of animals.

At one point, Sea Shepherd activists threw bottles of foul-smelling substances at a whaling ship in an attempt to disrupt the hunt, resulting in three sailors complaining of eye irritation.

The incident followed a high profile stand-off in January in which two activists boarded another Japanese whaling ship.

The protesters were branded environmental terrorists by the Japanese.

As well as failing to reach its quota for minke whales, no fin whales were caught - though officials said that was because none were sighted.

Last year fewer whales were culled than had been planned because of a fire on one of the Japanese vessels.

Tokyo says it carries out whaling for scientific research, but critics say the same data can be collected without killing the animalsquote>

While I'm annoyed they killed so many at least the protests were successful and the Japanese are returning to Japan amid international condemnation...

[krbe 193]

Well, "come to an end" is more right than to say it's been "called off".

However, I suppose the Americans are eager to help the Japanese punish those "enviromental terrorists"? Last time I heard anything on that matter they were among the most dangerous in the US, according to the FBI.

[patriots_1228 51]

Damn environmental terrorists. You can love the earth, but you can't let that love ruin other peoples careers. People are more important then animals, and they need to learn that.

[dabadon5 295]

this is sad, looks like we might be having more extinct animals.

[panthersimcity4 162]

Originally posted by: patriots_1228 Damn environmental terrorists. You can love the earth, but you can't let that love ruin other peoples careers. People are more important then animals, and they need to learn that.quote>

 

I think people have every right to ruin other people's careers if they are unjust careers. For example: the Gestapo of Nazi Germany had a career in "law enforcement" that deserved to be ruined. 

[belfastuniguy 18]

Damn environmental terrorists. You can love the earth, but you can't let that love ruin other peoples careers. People are more important then animals, and they need to learn that.quote>

Not every career is worth supporting...as panthersimcity stated.

I do not support terrorist in any way I do support protest and the vast majority of those that protested this hunt were peaceful. As much as I do not like it, it does seem to have been successful this time.

[threeswept 12]

Originally posted by: patriots_1228 Damn environmental terrorists. You can love the earth, but you can't let that love ruin other peoples careers. People are more important then animals, and they need to learn that.quote>

 

These topics can always be heated. However, it is best to keep in mind that environmentalists are not terrorists. That's ridiculous.

Something people need to keep in mind is that there is a balance in world order.

There is also the idea of sustainability. However, many organisations do not really care about sustainability because that doesn't create coin to layer ones pockets. And, by the way, without environmentalists, you would have a nuclear facility or oil well or smelter or toxic dump in your backyard. Without environmentalists, the bald eagle would be extinct. Without environmentalists, General Motors would probably still be using pigs with their chests opened up to test crash tests on Cadillacs to see how it affect a human. And, without environmentalists, the rate of asthma amongst children in metropolitan areas would be far greater than it is today.

[belfastuniguy 18]

Good points threeswept.

Though I think Patriots was referring to environmentalists that engage in criminal and violent activities.

[Death54 3]

Whaling is a part of their culture, and so long as they don't damage or poorly affect the whale population, it is ok imo. I realize many (or all) vegetarians or vegans object to that and I respect their opinions. Also, for me, breeding animals just to be food is cruel. Sure it's effective and in some cases necessary, but the farm raised animal have never had a life whatsoever, whereas their naturally raised cousins have. The killing of wild raised animals is just part of nature and the life cycle, and at least they had a good to mediocre life, instead of being packed like sardines in cages.

[belfastuniguy 18]

Whaling is a part of their culture, and so long as they don't damage or poorly affect the whale population, it is ok imo. I realize many (or all) vegetarians or vegans object to that and I respect their opinions. Also, for me, breeding animals just to be food is cruel. Sure it's effective and in some cases necessary, but the farm raised animal have never had a life whatsoever, whereas their naturally raised cousins have. The killing of wild raised animals is just part of nature and the life cycle, and at least they had a good to mediocre life, instead of being packed like sardines in cages.quote>

This has already been discussed. Please read back over previous post. The cultural aspect has been fully debated and killing hundeds of whales thousands of miles from Japan with industrial ships and explosive harpoons is not a cultural thing..

I think you'll find that many farm animals do have good lives, not all of course and animal abuse happens that's why we have strict farming welfare standards in addition to a flourishing free range farming industry.