Whale wars

[cuttlefish]

So what are people's views? I'm not a fan of whaling - I'd like to see it stop - but I don't like the actions of the protesters either in terms of launching projectiles at whaling crew members and attempting to sabotage the whaling ships.

I guess it depends on whether the view is that the whaling itself is legal or not - my understanding is that, regardless of the ethics of it, from a legal standpoint under international law the whalers are entitled to be there - thus I would assume that launching projectiles and attempting to sabotage boats is illegal activity by the protesters.

The way its going someone will get hurt, it is also creating diplomatic problems, and the aggressiveness by the protesters could easily backfire on them imo. Whales are important but human life is important as well and the protesters appear to be acting with wreckless disgregard for both their own lives and the well being of members of the whaling crews.

 

[condog]

Im not raqcist and I think the japanese are in general a lovely well manered bunch of people....

But wouldnt you like to walk up to a japanese whaler or politician who defends it and punch them in the face......then tell them you where just doing research lol

 

[IFocus]

Im not raqcist and I think the japanese are in general a lovely well manered bunch of people....

But wouldnt you like to walk up to a japanese whaler or politician who defends it and harpoon them......then tell them you where just doing research

Minor correction Condog

 

[IFocus]

So what are people's views? I'm not a fan of whaling - I'd like to see it stop - but I don't like the actions of the protesters either in terms of launching projectiles at whaling crew members and attempting to sabotage the whaling ships.

I guess it depends on whether the view is that the whaling itself is legal or not - my understanding is that, regardless of the ethics of it, from a legal standpoint under international law the whalers are entitled to be there - thus I would assume that launching projectiles and attempting to sabotage boats is illegal activity by the protesters.

The way its going someone will get hurt, it is also creating diplomatic problems, and the aggressiveness by the protesters could easily backfire on them imo. Whales are important but human life is important as well and the protesters appear to be acting with wreckless disgregard for both their own lives and the well being of members of the whaling crews.

Cuttlefish the world has too many humans and not enough whales..........

 

[nioka]

Cuttlefish the world has too many humans and not enough whales..........

So what do you suggest, start eating one another and not eat other meat. Whales are a food resource in a world running out of food. As an ex whaler I see no reason not to resume whaling now that the numbers of some species of whales have recovered. Should we stop eating cuddly lanmbs, chicken, pork and beef. Should we stop slaughtering cows because they are sacred to some races. Should we stop feeding our pet dogs horse and kangaroo meat.

If we tell others what they must do then do we accept that they have the right to tell us what we can and can not do?.

Live and let live. ( unless you need it for food)

 

[Wysiwyg]

From an animal perspective it is natural to eat other living organisms. From a human perspective I think we could 'choose' domesticated animal meat.

Oh and that skipper on the Sea Shepherd is certainly putting lives at risk. His own peoples lives.

 

[Garpal Gumnut]

So what are people's views? I'm not a fan of whaling - I'd like to see it stop - but I don't like the actions of the protesters either in terms of launching projectiles at whaling crew members and attempting to sabotage the whaling ships.

I guess it depends on whether the view is that the whaling itself is legal or not - my understanding is that, regardless of the ethics of it, from a legal standpoint under international law the whalers are entitled to be there - thus I would assume that launching projectiles and attempting to sabotage boats is illegal activity by the protesters.

The way its going someone will get hurt, it is also creating diplomatic problems, and the aggressiveness by the protesters could easily backfire on them imo. Whales are important but human life is important as well and the protesters appear to be acting with wreckless disgregard for both their own lives and the well being of members of the whaling crews.

Your thoughts mirror mine.

The behaviour of the protestors has that fascist green tinge to it that accompanies protests of this type, self righteous violence and aggravation for its own sake. This extends from the Antarctic to protests at Copenhagen, through to Davros and so called climate change.

I've never been a great fan of the Japs, they should have apologised for atrocities in WW2 and never did. I don't mind if they eat whales, I'd just like them to harvest them efficiently as we do cattle and sheep, and not cull them to extinction.

Its the unlikeable fighting the unforgiven, as far as it goes for me. Beating the crap out of each other to exhaustion might be a good result.

gg

 

[skc]

If we tell others what they must do then do we accept that they have the right to tell us what we can and can not do?.

Live and let live. ( unless you need it for food)

So true. The common focus seems to be what's right... and that's a debate that will never reach consensus. Instead the government should focus on what would work... how many to kill safely, what species to kill, and how to hunt humanely. And I am sure the inventive Japs will come up with how to "domesticate" the whales soon enough.

 

[Wysiwyg]

It reflects the imbalance in nature that has resulted from the evolution of a single intelligent species. A species that is not hunted for their skin, meat nor pleasure.

 

[Who Dares Wins]

I've said it before and I'll say it again

Whales are fish too!

I'm joking of course but you get the point - I'd hate for them to feel left out.

I have been to the Antarctic 4 times. Back in march 2005 at the end of the 3rd visit we were in the eastern Ross Sea and woke up one morning to several hundred if not a thousand minke whales around the boat. Honestly, they were as far as the eye could see in every direction.

They aren't endangered at all.

 

[Calliope]

Rich, spoilt, well funded brats behaving badly. Their aim is to harass the Japanese in the hope of getting them to retaliate so that they can cry foul. There is no way that the whaleboat could collide with the high speed , highly manoeuvrable, trimaran, unless it was the trimaran's fault.

Former US television game show host Bob Barker donated five million US US dollars to help Sea Shepherd buy and fit out a former harpoon ship for its 2010 pursuit of Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.

Hollywood businessman Ady Gil bankrolled a second vessel for the 2010 season -- a two-million dollar trimaran superboat originally known as Earthrace which claimed the world record for circumnavigating the globe.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...militant-antiwhaling-group-20100107-lwog.html

 

[Ato]

I support the Japanese in this case.

 

[noco]

Having worked on the Whaling Station at Tangalooma on Morten Island in the early 50's, I observed the slaughter of 660 Hump Back Whales in 11 weeks.

This was the quota allowed by the presiding Government of the day. After 10 or 11 years, the whaling company could only manage to bring in some 300.
They were literally killing them to extinction and it took decades for the whales to bred back to their oringinal numbers. Fortunately, the business of whaling became unviable and the whaling station closed in 1961 or 1962.

It is inconceivable, that some people cannot differentiate between the killing of whales and the domesticated animals of cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry; the breeding if the latter for human consumption can be controlled where as the whales are in an open environment and must fend for themselves.

To personally see a dead whale with its eyes still open, bought tears to my own eyes. Something I never want to see again.

SAVE THE WHALES!!!!!!!!

 

[Smurf1976]

If they're in international waters then they should adhere to international law. I'd support the protesters if such laws are being broken.

Likewise Australian waters = Australian law and I'd support the protesters if the law is being broken.

But if the Japanese aren't actually breaking any laws on the basis that what they are doing is commercial hunting rather than "research" then I would not support the protesters. Argue for change by all means, but if it's legal then they have a right to get on with it.

I may be wrong here, but I thought there was an international agreement that precludes the commercial hunting of whales? If that's the case then I'm on the protesters' side absolutely.

If the Japanese won't take action in a graceful manner then perhaps trade sanctions would do the job? Worth considering boycotting anything Japanese to make the point - it's a very export driven economy and that would quickly bring them to their knees. It needs to be a global boycott, not just lcoal, for it to work however.

Must say though that regardless of views on the issue, the Ady Gil sure is an odd looking boat to see up close.

 

[akkopower]

Your thoughts mirror mine.


I've never been a great fan of the Japs, they should have apologised for atrocities in WW2 and never did. I don't mind if they eat whales, I'd just like them to harvest them efficiently as we do cattle and sheep, and not cull them to extinction.



gg

Wow a townsvillian thinks a country which had two nuclear bombs dropped on it should, "apologised for atrocities in WW2".

 

[Fishbulb]

Your thoughts mirror mine.

The behaviour of the protestors has that fascist green tinge to it that accompanies protests of this type, self righteous violence and aggravation for its own sake. This extends from the Antarctic to protests at Copenhagen, through to Davros and so called climate change.

I've never been a great fan of the Japs, they should have apologised for atrocities in WW2 and never did. I don't mind if they eat whales, I'd just like them to harvest them efficiently as we do cattle and sheep, and not cull them to extinction.

Its the unlikeable fighting the unforgiven, as far as it goes for me. Beating the crap out of each other to exhaustion might be a good result.

gg

No point in any rebuttals here, the above post is best left to speak for itself.

 

[BlingBling]

I have mixed feelings about this issue and agree with arguments on both sides. Japanese eat the whole thing, where as back in the day the westerners just raped them for their blubber

I think the sea shepherd and the idiot captain are just a bunch of attention seekers trying piss the Japanese off to do something bad.

What the people outside of Japan don't realise is that none of this is on Japanese TV. In the last 12 years I lived there, the only time we saw something about it was when a crew member died and they made it look like it was the sea shepherds fault.

Taiji is also another example where the general population does not know about the slaughter of dolphins. Rasta.. comes in all peace and love with a bunch of crying girls and thinks he has actually done something, in fact when all it did was set back the progress that had been made by other scientists & environmentalists in Japan. And when they took dolphin & whale off school lunches they (Rasta & gang) claimed it!

Whale species are increasing in numbers. I thousands of them with my own eyes as they pass by us for 5 months of the year up here on the Nth coast of NSW & I love sharing the waves with the dolphins.

Surely there must be a species such as Minkies that might be able to be fished sustainably?

Finally 99% of Japanese people are in awe of whales and dolphins and don't want them to be killed and have no intention of eating them. Just a shame they can't find out about this so that they could lobby their govt to take action on these issues.

 

[nioka]

They were literally killing them to extinction !

Not exactly true. The whale Quotas were established to maintain the herd and were at a sustainable level. It was the greek shipping tycoon Onassis that put together a fleet of ex wartime shipping,ignored quotas and killed whales continuously until the decimation was to a point where whaling ceased because of the lack of whales. At that time we, (I was a factory manager of a station at that time) could not understand the disappearance of the whales and expected it was just a bad year. It was not until the Peruvian navy caught and impounded the Onassis fleet that the magnitude of the problem became evident.

For the whale herd to increase to near pre modern whaling numbers means that they are not now endangered and anti whaling is now based on the cuddly sentiment.

Quotas properly supervised are reasonable now and they are an important food source.Each humpback seen on the east coast is 8 to 10 tonnes of edible oil and about the same in meat swimming along waiting to be harvested.

I've seen a lot of whales shot. The end is usually very quick. Greenpeace likes to keep showing the film of the odd one where the bomb didnt do the job but it is not often like that. Their interference with the whale chasers is causing shots to be fired without the chaser being in the ideal position and the result is not as good as the harpooner would like.

 

[nioka]

where as back in the day the westerners just raped them for their blubber

In early sailing boat days the whales were only harvested for their blubber and at the same time cattle in Australia wre mainly produced for their fat. In the post war whaling nothing was wasted. There was the oil,used in margarine. That oil was not just from the blubber but from the whole whale. Meat was also packed for export. The rest was turned into high quality stock food, even the "soup'" was concentrated into a top quality stock food. The only waste was the balleen which had been used in early days as a stiffener in ladies corsets.

Remember that whales feed on krill which is itself a LIVING shrimp.

Save the shrimp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Calliope]

.

It is inconceivable, that some people cannot differentiate between the killing of whales and the domesticated animals of cattle, sheep, pigs and poultry; the breeding if the latter for human consumption can be controlled where as the whales are in an open environment and must fend for themselves.

I take it then that you are opposed to commercial fishing. Perhaps there is some spiritual quality about whales (or is it just their size) that makes us so passionate about them. Or is it because we enjoy catching and eating fish that we fool ourselves into believing that fish feel no pain when they are hooked and suffocated?

Or are we just hypocrites?