Japanese whaling

[scorpio86]

recently there has been some interesting occurences in he southern seas, Japanese whaling ships shooting whales with explosive tipped harpoons before dragging the whales aboard and then disecting them with medievil style weapons - all while the creatures are still alive and bleeding

apparently it is for the benefits of scientific research

coincidentally enough whale meat is sold throughout Asia

?

surely this is 'tresspassing' on an intentional scale? what can research into the effects of explosives on whales and the nutritional value and taste of their meat possibly have to offer science?

if i was the prime minister i would have S.A.S troops jumping out of helicopters onto the whaling ships and 'nuetralising' the crew, this is not from a territorial, geographic boundaries perspective but simply for the horridness of the actions of certain Japanese whaleships in the waters south of Australia

are there any other thoughts or viewpoints upon this subject? do the Japanese have a right to shoot whales with explosive tipped harpoons? do the Australian Navy and Air Force have a right to shoot high explosive missiles at the Japanese whaling ships? do the Whales have the right to combine their own forces and attack the Japanese whaling ships 'Moby Dick' style?

???

[Bishop]

The Japanese are not whaling, they are sampling the species :/

[Magn]

The Japanese are not whaling, they are sampling the species :/

I think Japanese fishing is a problem for many species, but then when you look at Japan's situation, I don't think they have many alternatives:

1) They are overpopulated

2) They are on a small island and are putting an emphasis on industry

3) The above emphasis on industry is taking a lot of land away from agriculture

[Bishop]

Actually, i was referring to this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institu...acean_Research

[Scavenger]

Emphasis on industry = more export = better trade balance = more gc's to import bushels of food.
The Japanese need to stop making excuses. They don't need the whales. Period.
Sea Shepherd FTW.

[Bishop]

Sea Shepherd did more damage to the cause than good. Paul Watson is an absolute idiot.

[Gallowmere]

Sea Shepherd did more damage to the cause than good. Paul Watson is an absolute idiot.

Worse than that, he's a REALLY bad liar...and a liar that doesn't even make sure his cohorts are in it together with him.

"Another whopper of a lie has recently come to light as we've learned that the Ady Gil did not sink as a result of the collision with the Shona Maru #2. As it turns out, Peter Bethune, the builder and captain of the Ady Gil, has admitted that although damaged, that after the collision, the Gil was sound and afloat, saying, "The boat was definitely salvageable. It was still rock solid...It would have stayed afloat for sure." Bethune reveals he was ordered to scuttle it 'in order to gain public sympathy'."

Old news, but still more than a little amusing. Not to mention the dolt has been on Interpol's Wanted list for how long now? xD

[path]

My degree is in biology so I appreciate how destructive the japanese whaling is on the population dynamics of a collection of species that is greatly depleted. They simply should not be allowed to whale for at least a decade or two and allow the population to recover. I could say the same for all fishing the world over, but that would cause a lot of people to starve. I am not some bleeding heart who loves how pretty the whales are, I say this from a purely selfish point of view about maintaining a sustainable food supply for the human species.

THAT SAID.....I enjoyed watching whale wars so much, I hope the Japanese head back down there to whale soon. I love watching how stupid the sea shepherd crew and leaders are. In my perfect world, they would bring back that Peter Brown guy, and one of the ships would hit an iceberg and a couple dozen of them would die for my amusement. OK, not really, I don't want anyone to die, but I did greatly enjoy how stupid they could all be.

[The Imp]

The taiwanese shark fin industry is worse

[scorpio86]

i think the worst part of it is that they claim it is in the name of science, i think there are many alternatives for food sources - McDonalds is one of them.

greenpeace are acting for the right reasons, their only fault is that they are human and prone to occasional bouts of idiocy.

[Gallowmere]

i think the worst part of it is that they claim it is in the name of science, i think there are many alternatives for food sources - McDonalds is one of them.

greenpeace are acting for the right reasons, their only fault is that they are human and prone to occasional bouts of idiocy.

You act as if McDonald's and places similar, pull food out of thin air, without animals meeting their end in similar (if not worse) fashions. Oh wait...they're cows and pigs...who cares about cows and pigs?...must...save...whales...

"The minke whale, currently the most commonly hunted whale, is not considered "endangered" or even "threatened" according the IUCN, the recognized authority in classifying endangered species."

[Bishop]

But whales are mammals like us, and they are cute! It must be wrong to eat something cute, right?

[Gallowmere]

But whales are mammals like us, and they are cute! It must be wrong to eat something cute, right?

But...but...piggy...
http://blog.lib.umn.edu/whitn007/whi...sing%20Pig.bmp

Find me a picture like THAT of a whale that isn't Photoshopped garbage. :D

[scorpio86]

mate i have worked at abatours, i know where meat comes from - that is why i don't eat meat pies or sausages any more

im not fussed whether or not minke whales are endangered or where McDonald's gets their food supplies from, i am saying i think it is wrong that Japanese whaling ships are cruising around in the water's south of Australia shooting whales with explosive tipped harpoons and chopping them up while they are still alive.

and yes i am a hippy

there are other ways of getting food supplies than using explosives on whales

[Gallowmere]

You'll have to forgive my ignorance when it comes to marine law, but to whom do these waters belong? If it is in fact Australia, then yeah, they should boot them out if they don't want them there. If the answer is no one, then...well, no one has a right to tell them a damned thing, except for maybe the whales and sharks, who should get together and...coerce them to leave. They certainly possess the physical strength to do so.

Oh...wait...they don't possess the cognitive abilities to do so. Hmm, can't decide if my desire to see stupid people eradicated should extend to animals as well.