As this Antarctic hunting seasons ends...one has to wonder about this business of commercial whaling.
A big question I have is: Why actively harvest, or "research" (kill) whales knowing full well that:
1. Meat doesn't sell at home. There is a surplus of whale meat in Japanese and Norwegian freezers. Sometimes you have to sell it to school officials as "lunch (bento)."
2. Sea Shepherds, Greenpeace and Australia will be there to give you a hard time.
3. The eyes of the world are watching and don't approve.
4. I'm not making any money doing this. Time, gas, money, hardware and employees are expensive.
Considering the list above, one has to wonder what motivates the leadership of these corporations, and collusive public officials. While many of us have batted away on the secondary issues of "pro" & "con" related to activism & sustainability, few have delved into what I feel is the origin of this problem - the psyche of those who continue to pursue this fiscally unsound activity.
As an FYI I'll post some links to major players. A couple of things to keep in mind while researching these and related links:
NISSUI
Maruha Group Inc.: Information and Much More from Answers.com
* Are the decision makers from the old guard? Is there a "Old Boys" network?
* Can the major shareholders personally bankroll expeditions like this?
* Who controls the votes?
* Does the old guard harbor hard, distant memories?
All of this should not sound unusual ; consider Halliburton and its connections to the present administration. While perusing consider that most coastal nations 'Went a-Whalin' for centuries, and quit when substitutes for whale products were developed (lubricants). Whaling fleets were not retired out of ardent environmentalism.
One last piece from my economic whaling log book. The Russians used to whale. Their boats (in the 70's) were complete rust buckets. The Russians only whaled to make good on their intitial capital investments. When it no longer became profitable to operate (especially with world PR and encounters with Greenpeace) they quit. The whaling families aboard the factory ships had no love, or taste for their line of work. The harpooners had very mixed emotions about shooting their prey. When the political officer was on watch the families would "boo" Greenpeace, but when the "Politik" was away they would hold Teddy bears out of port holes, wave, hold out pieces of cloth and blow kisses. It was clear to us that they whaled only to feed their families. Heart-wrenching really. :dontgetit
The current day whalers are nothing like their former Russians counterparts. They don't seem destitute, or desperate. Their boats well maintained, their actions choreographed. They also carry political muscle.
So, please consider that these high-stakes games are driven not by the need for sovereignty, but by a agenda fueled by something deeper, and far more personal. On a larger scale, it's just another episode in waste.
As an FYI : some info gleaned from Greenpeace's data base:
Major whaling nations
Germany quits whaling in 1939
U.S. quits whaling in 1940
Argentina quits whaling in 1960
U.K. quits whaling in 1963
Holland quits whaling in 1964
New Zealand quits whaling in 1964
Norway withdraws from the Antarctic Ocean in 1972
Canada quits whaling in 1973
South Africa quits whaling in 1975
Australia quits whaling in 1978
Brazil quits whaling in 1980
Chile quits whaling in 1983
Peru quits whaling in 1984
Spain quits whaling in 1985
U.S.S.R quits whaling in 1987
Norway reopens whaling in its surrounding ocean area in 1993
Japan tests whaling operation in the Antarctic Ocean in 1934
Demmark/Panama/Republic of Korea/Portugal/Iceland/
France/Mexico/Somail/Philippines/Bahamas/
Tonga/St.Vinsent
Greenpeace Japan THE FACT SHEET 3
A big question I have is: Why actively harvest, or "research" (kill) whales knowing full well that:
1. Meat doesn't sell at home. There is a surplus of whale meat in Japanese and Norwegian freezers. Sometimes you have to sell it to school officials as "lunch (bento)."
2. Sea Shepherds, Greenpeace and Australia will be there to give you a hard time.
3. The eyes of the world are watching and don't approve.
4. I'm not making any money doing this. Time, gas, money, hardware and employees are expensive.
Considering the list above, one has to wonder what motivates the leadership of these corporations, and collusive public officials. While many of us have batted away on the secondary issues of "pro" & "con" related to activism & sustainability, few have delved into what I feel is the origin of this problem - the psyche of those who continue to pursue this fiscally unsound activity.
As an FYI I'll post some links to major players. A couple of things to keep in mind while researching these and related links:
NISSUI
Maruha Group Inc.: Information and Much More from Answers.com
* Are the decision makers from the old guard? Is there a "Old Boys" network?
* Can the major shareholders personally bankroll expeditions like this?
* Who controls the votes?
* Does the old guard harbor hard, distant memories?
All of this should not sound unusual ; consider Halliburton and its connections to the present administration. While perusing consider that most coastal nations 'Went a-Whalin' for centuries, and quit when substitutes for whale products were developed (lubricants). Whaling fleets were not retired out of ardent environmentalism.
One last piece from my economic whaling log book. The Russians used to whale. Their boats (in the 70's) were complete rust buckets. The Russians only whaled to make good on their intitial capital investments. When it no longer became profitable to operate (especially with world PR and encounters with Greenpeace) they quit. The whaling families aboard the factory ships had no love, or taste for their line of work. The harpooners had very mixed emotions about shooting their prey. When the political officer was on watch the families would "boo" Greenpeace, but when the "Politik" was away they would hold Teddy bears out of port holes, wave, hold out pieces of cloth and blow kisses. It was clear to us that they whaled only to feed their families. Heart-wrenching really. :dontgetit
The current day whalers are nothing like their former Russians counterparts. They don't seem destitute, or desperate. Their boats well maintained, their actions choreographed. They also carry political muscle.
So, please consider that these high-stakes games are driven not by the need for sovereignty, but by a agenda fueled by something deeper, and far more personal. On a larger scale, it's just another episode in waste.
As an FYI : some info gleaned from Greenpeace's data base:
Major whaling nations
Germany quits whaling in 1939
U.S. quits whaling in 1940
Argentina quits whaling in 1960
U.K. quits whaling in 1963
Holland quits whaling in 1964
New Zealand quits whaling in 1964
Norway withdraws from the Antarctic Ocean in 1972
Canada quits whaling in 1973
South Africa quits whaling in 1975
Australia quits whaling in 1978
Brazil quits whaling in 1980
Chile quits whaling in 1983
Peru quits whaling in 1984
Spain quits whaling in 1985
U.S.S.R quits whaling in 1987
Norway reopens whaling in its surrounding ocean area in 1993
Japan tests whaling operation in the Antarctic Ocean in 1934
Demmark/Panama/Republic of Korea/Portugal/Iceland/
France/Mexico/Somail/Philippines/Bahamas/
Tonga/St.Vinsent
Greenpeace Japan THE FACT SHEET 3
