Whales in trouble?

IdleRich

IdleRich
So, what's going on with this whaling commission business then? As I understand it the Japanese, Icelanders and Norwegians (who don't obey the ban anyway) have now smuggled enough nations on to the board to put the ban on commercial whaling seriously in doubt and a motion to put it to the vote has been accepted. How likely is this to happen? Why is such an important thing decided by such a ridiculous body? Is anyone pissed off about this?
 

Buick6

too punk to drunk
This is one of the most disgustinmg political thing going on today. The whole whale thing in the 70s is what got me into green politics at an early age. This is an attoricity, amazing that the world just turns it's nose up at things like this. The Japanese are a disgrace, esp around Australian water. If I were PM I'd discreetly ask some of our subs to test out torpedoes on some of those whaling shits, I mean ships. :mad:
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
remember, this is for science. they will die for a noble cause.
At the moment the Japanese are allowed to kill a certain number for "science" (and eat the side-products) but if this goes through, as I understand it, they won't even need that fig leaf, they will be able to kill as many as they like with impunity, purely for food.
 
G

grosun

Guest
As I understand it, they're not arguing for hunting any of the endangered whales, just the ones whose populations are healthy. As such, provided it's properly & sustainably managed, I don't see that it's any worse than fishing, hunting or slaughtering livestock.

Yes, whales do have an emotional pull that cod or cows don't have, but really is there any difference?

(note that personally I'd love to see the seas re-populated with loads of whales like they used to be, & I'd happily make an exception on emotional grounds alone, but I don't think that's sufficient reason to tell others what they should or shouldn't do)

Also, it might actually end up reducing the incentive to go whaling. At the moment it's seen as a contentious issue, so the countries that *want* to whale feel like it's an act of defiance, & most of them subsidise their whaling industries. If there was no huge opposition to it, & subsidies were removed, they might find that demand really wasn't that high; as far as I understand it, whale meat is becoming less popular in Japan anyway, & most of the other by-products, which were the reason whales were hunted to near-extinction, have been replaced by alternatives (whale oil lamp, anyone?)

It's weird how emotive pple get over whales relative to any other animals tho'... the Independent's headline was something to do with blood... nono, not expressing an opinion there at all. Given that most people are quite happy to spill cows' blood, or pigs' blood, I fail to see an enormous difference (well aside from the obvious enormous difference)
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
"As I understand it, they're not arguing for hunting any of the endangered whales, just the ones whose populations are healthy. As such, provided it's properly & sustainably managed, I don't see that it's any worse than fishing, hunting or slaughtering livestock."
For sure. I thought that the debate is about how healthy the populations really are. The pro-whaling nations are saying that the stocks are not just high but too high and are endangering fish. The anti-whaling nations are saying that's just not true. Japan are not exactly noted for their honesty on the matter of whaling so I think I know who I believe.
If it was sustainable then I would be completely happy with whaling and I would happily give whale meat a try myself. What I have a problem with is the idea that powerful countries like Japan can bribe Jamaica or whatever to join the IWC and vote that the populations are healthy when they are not.
 

polystyle

Well-known member
Come here whale

This whale debate touches on a subject that comes to mind often when I see
Japanese docu's on NHK about fishing , whaling - 'harvesting from the sea' in gen.

I mean ok, humans have been eating , killing , harassing , modifying animals forever
but it raise some emotional hackles when humans always feel it is all 'free' for the taking -
so let's grab as much as we can.
Eating live octopus' comes to mind as well , filleting live fish for a nice super fresh sashimi too.
The Chinese are doing it with turtles , virtually vacuuming S Asia of every last one -
given enough time (they have the $).
Out at Montauk LI one fine summer day I was slightly aghast at Korean tourists off the tour bus ,
into the surf, gathering up arms full of thick rubbery seaweed to make their own piles on the beach
(making it not so easy to even sit on the sand and enjoy the surf side), literally running bk into the water to grab more, more, more .
Verbal fights broke out over strands of ... seaweed

Yeah , I know it's a culture's perogative to eat what they will but
it's not there just to scarf up
 

bassnation

the abyss
polystyle desu said:
Yeah , I know it's a culture's perogative to eat what they will but
it's not there just to scarf up

its like the recent news about apparent interbreeding between humans and chimps after the two species had separated. is it really right to test cosmetics and god knows what on them when they are so close to us genetically? its almost like offering your auntie up for live vivisection and not giving a fuck.

i'm not generally an animal rights nut but there has to be a line drawn somewhere otherwise we'd all be cannibals.
 

zhao

there are no accidents
the meat industry is just sick. I don't think it's "wrong to eat animals", but how much we (as a species) do it is 1. very bad for our own health, 2. terrible for the environment, and 3. cruel to animals.
 
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