Whale harpooned in front of whale-watching tourists

[MXGratefulDiver]

This conversation reminds me of suburbanites who buy a piece of land in farm country, build a nice retirement home, then complain about the fact that it smells like cow poop.

Actually, it's a clever idea to take whale-watching tourists out to an area where known whaling activity is occurring ... I'd say it certainly raises awareness of the issue ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Zingtea]

Whaling has been a way of life and commerce since we started using tools and wether you sell the meat to other people as food or you eat it yourself (good luck eating a 10 metric ton animal yourself) its still very much used as just that, food...
Other whale products are used as well, for example to make perfumes, so you should be careful before flinging rocks. The house you sit in might be built of glass without you even knowing..

I was talking about industrial whaling. I don't use perfume (I prefer staying clean) and I am also vegetarian. I know very well that we humans aren't all that different from each other, but if no-one criticises, we won't move forward. Tradition in itself doesn't justify anything. (E.g., the human slave trade has been a prominent tradition in the Western world ever since the Roman Empire.) It especially doesn't justify something which is cruel, environmentally destructive and unnecessary all at the same time.

 

[Tigerman]

I was talking about industrial whaling. I don't use perfume (I prefer staying clean) and I am also vegetarian. I know very well that we humans aren't all that different from each other, but if no-one criticises, we won't move forward. Tradition in itself doesn't justify anything. (E.g., the human slave trade has been a prominent tradition in the Western world ever since the Roman Empire.) It especially doesn't justify something which is cruel, environmentally destructive and unnecessary all at the same time.

Please enlighten me here...
Why is killing whales crueler than killing anything else?
Why is eating whale more unneccesary than eating anything else?
Do you assume that the plants you eat dont have a life that you take when you make food out of it?
Why do you think its enviromentally destructive to hunt an animal thats NOT endangered?

 

[CBulla]

What a strange irony..

 

[Mako Mark]

I think both the traditional culture and scientific research excuses are both bogus. Especially for 500 whales per year, that is a lot of whale meat and I have heard that they have trouble selling it to modern Japanese society.

The jury is still out as to whether or which whales are endangered. It is an issue based on emotion as much as anything. Most people think it is a shame to kill and eat such a magnificent and intelligent animal and I agree.

I dint think anyone really gets upset about sheep or cows being killed as they are hardly magnificent, and they are raised purely for that purpose.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I think both the traditional culture and scientific research excuses are both bogus. Especially for 500 whales per year, that is a lot of whale meat and I have heard that they have trouble selling it to modern Japanese society.

Same thing happened here with the Makah Indian tribe ... once they got permission to resume their "cultural" whale hunt they bagged one whale. But they couldn't sell it, and nobody really wanted to eat it ... so they didn't bother killing another one. Like someone earlier said ... when the market ain't there, the whaling will stop.

The jury is still out as to whether or which whales are endangered. It is an issue based on emotion as much as anything. Most people think it is a shame to kill and eat such a magnificent and intelligent animal and I agree.

Me too ... and I feel the same way about octopus, which are very intelligent animals.

I dint think anyone really gets upset about sheep or cows being killed as they are hardly magnificent, and they are raised purely for that purpose.

Oh ... I'm not so sure about that ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkHCDkYkYnk



... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[emcbride81]

You know, it is funny about killing animals...I think whaling is horrid, I think Michael Vick is worthy of being drowned himself, but I love deer meat. I wonder why we are against the killing of some animals and not others. I think the method of death is a factor. Even fish...they have it the worst of all...they suffer for hours sometimes, slowly suffocating, but Red Lobster has an hour wait at 6 oclock every night.

 

[RoyN]

Well eating animal is fine as long as its good for you. But for eating whales, eating sharkfin soup just to maintain a tradition....nah that sound stupid. Even I don't eat dogs and I'm a vietnamese guy.

 

[Mr.X]

It's been an interesting thread. I feel harvesting could be conducted if whale populations are sustainable ecologically (with real data – no bogus science) and if there is a true need for whale flesh as a protein source.

I really don't care much for the harvest of animals since I don’t like hunting, fishing, guns etc. But I’m ready to acknowledge that harvesting critters is all a part of the circle of life. What's really interesting is that the decline of whaling is due to the economics of disinterest. It won't be too long before the other two drop out. I f Japan can't move it's meat right now, the economics of storage, huge cost of refrigeration, upkeep of dedicated whaling vessels will force the owners to give up this niche of the fishing industry.

It's similar to buying furniture that you don't want, trying to force it on yourself, and others. Sooner or later, you'll find pieces of it ditched at the dump, or donated to some senior, or urban community center desperate for stuff.

If anything, the whalers who killed the Beaked whale will have created a small cadre of people who will now work as ardent advocates. I see the power of ten working there.


X

 

[Eris Lucan7*]

Japan i can ask a fwie person about my will to talk about is low,so i give you that

massage,hiroshima was terbel nagasakie was mouder,not minder as nasgasaki but you

now tha the Tneo /Ono/Tento or wtha eve his name was was a broken mkan and

they had given him a black english dude wit cilinder hut and silverpocktwash for the

asing of the peactread so he had a look like Gorge Washinton,and yes i think

Presindent Thureman diet súcid after Hiroshima so Rosewlt was a warcrimminal but it is

gone lost in time....


E.L.7*