Japanese open fire on Sea Shepherd crew

[Aquatic Eagle]

Sorry NatureDiver but Kims right..
The japanese whalers might or might not be bending the laws, but as the case is at this moment, they are not breaking any laws. The Sea Sheperd crew however IS by harassing the whalers. If me and Kim started harassing american ships, do you think wed be fortunate enough to get away with flashbangs?
If you stick your hand into a snake pit, you damn well better be prepared to be bit.

Yes, shooting people, if thats the case (and thats yet to be proven) is obviously far over the top, but its also quite much provoked by captain nutjob and his crew.
The first to start using terms like "acid" could be the ones saying they had commenced "chemical warfare" against the whalers. Chemical warfare also violate several intenational laws btw, if they want to start claiming theire on a "war against whaling".

On a side note, was in Greenpece or cpt wingnuts squad that was knocked out of a dingie by the harpoon line because he positioned himself between the shooter and his target?

If you read anything written by Paul Watson on the subject, he repeatedly states that he and his crew know what they are getting into and are prepared for anything. They also state that they know they are provoking the whalers because that is better than whales dying.

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

As for explosive tipped harpoons....the idea is to kill the whale outright to minimize suffering. Would you prefer they used the old methods that left a whale dying for hours, or days?

Well, the idea is not how it works. These harpoons are shot into the whales and they explode on the inside and the whale dies slowly, 15 minutes or more. That is not killing them outright. I would prefer them not use any methods since whaling is unnecessary.

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

Shark fin soup is actually a Chinese dish.

Japan is fantastic at maintaining marine resources. Their fish/shellfish farming techniques are way ahead of most others.
Their coastal waters in general are fished to a strict quota system that has ensured ongoing sustainability since histprical times. They still fish today, unlike the examples in N.America and Europe of entire fishing communities shutting up shop completely because they destroyed the stocks and the fish are gone.

If you think they are so bad at it, would you like to produce some actual evidence?

Try watching just about any educational video about sharks. Shark-finning is almost always mentioned and Japanese ships are always present on the footage.

 

[wardric]

I love your sig lines Naturediver. Lots of wisdom in them.

By being part of nature, I accept I am part of nature's life cycle, that I will have to kill a living being if i want to survive because I cannot do photosynthesis or eat minerals. Every life form is sacred whether it's a whale or a brocoli, a pig or a carrot. Each must have our respect and none must be wasted. But choosing what we kill based on unlogical criterias (intelligence, cuddlyness) is putting ourselves over nature. It's acting as wannabe gods.

 

[wardric]

Try watching just about any educational video about sharks. Shark-finning is almost always mentioned and Japanese ships are always present on the footage.

educationnal videos or propaganda ones by SS and the like?

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

Their coastal waters in general are fished to a strict quota system that has ensured ongoing sustainability since histprical times.

Is this a reason that they travel to other territory to do their hunting? Maybe so that the waters officially in their territory aren't touched.

 

[Azza]

New Zealand does participate in "High Seas Fishing" - just like everybody else....
Ministry of Fisheries Internet | International | High Seas Fishing

Yep, we do. We do try to be responsible about it tho...
I mean if a whole group of nations decide they want an area put aside as a sanctuary I doubt we would fish for the fish the sanctuary is aiming to preserve.

There are several species of shark, including Hammerheads, that the New Zealand fisheries sees as fair game....
Ministry of Fisheries Internet | International | High Seas Fishing | MFish Approved Species Codes | Table 4

Catagory 4...isn't that by catch?

There are a lot of people, myself included, who don't eat commercially caught fish in a bid not to support the commercial fishing industry for this very reason as well as others. Cant win it all. As much as I would love to say we are perfect we are, like the rest of world, far from it...but I digress.

We consider this part of the world as our backyard (Neighbourhood not property) and quite simply we don't want whaling happening here. We have already played a big part in the decline of the whale populations in the past and recognize the error of our ways. If Japan catch 70% of all whales in Japanese coastal waters why cant they simply reduce their catch by 30%...I mean how many whales does a country need for scientific research?

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

educationnal videos or propaganda ones by SS and the like?

Actually no, National Geographic and Discovery Channel. I can name a specific one if you like. "Great White" by Discovery Channel video.

 

[Kim]

I would prefer them not use any methods since whaling is unnecessary.

I can understand that you don't like it.

Unnecessary? That's a matter of opinion really. It could be argued that eating most of the things we do is unnecessary. Do we really need the factory farms full of chickens, cattle, pigs....whatever? It always amazes me that people accept the systematic breeding of animals, sometimes in really harsh conditions, for slaughter - they don't want to lose their steaks, pork chops, chicken wings etc - but when someone hunts a tiny percentage of an animal that occurs in the wild they get all "righteous".

I'm sorry - I see that as a clear double standard.

Do you need to be intelligent to feel pain? Is throwing a live lobster into boiling water somehow morally better than killing a whale? Or killing ANYTHING because we want to eat it, and sometimes even prolonging it's death because it tastes better like that - like veal?

 

[wardric]

Actually no, National Geographic and Discovery Channel. I can name a specific one if you like. "Great White" by Discovery Channel video.

good ones indeed. I prefer Discovery to National Geographic but these are two credible sources IMO