OUTRAGE OVER WHALING ... #2 <cont>

Have a great trip, Tigershark!

Hey, you might be indulging in this?:

Every Whale Watch tour is a unique experience and the sightings vary. Giant Sperm Whales are the stars of the show and year-round residents. A typical Whale Watch tour may encounter New Zealand Fur Seals, pods of Dusky dolphins and the endangered Wandering Albatross. Depending on the season you may also see migrating Humpback Whales, Pilot Whales, Blue Whales and Southern Right Whales. Kaikoura often hosts the world's largest dolphin - the Orca - and is home to the world's smallest and rarest - the Hector's. Kaikoura also attracts the largest concentration and variety of seabirds on mainland New Zealand including 13 species of Albatross, 14 varieties of Petrels and 7 types of Shearwater. If your Whale Watch Kaikoura tour does not see a whale we will refund 80% of your fare.

I'm so jealous!

Whales 3 Navy 0

President Bush's waiver was a last-ditch attempt to let the Navy
unleash an onslaught of military sonar off the coast of southern
California -- home to five endangered species of whales --
without taking precautions to protect marine mammals from a
lethal bombardment of sound.

Last month, the same judge -- U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie
Cooper -- ordered the Navy to put safeguards in place during the
sonar maneuvers in order to protect marine mammals from needless
injury and death. Shortly after that ruling, President Bush
issued his "emergency" waiver, attempting to override the
court's order.

In last night's ruling, Judge Cooper called the Navy's so-called
emergency "a creature of its own making," and reaffirmed that
the military can train effectively without needlessly harming
whales.

Good ol Judge Cooper! Well done!

I saw a bit of the video footage on the ABC news tonight.(video link included in ABC link below) I couldn't watch it all. Horrible. Peter Singer is absolutely right: there is no quick & painless way to kill whales. I hope the federal government does follow through with an international court case.:

Whale kill film will strengthen legal case: Govt
Posted Thu Feb 7, 2008 10:18am AEDT
Updated 8 hours 14 minutes ago/ABC News online


The body of a minke whale and its calf are dragged onto the whaling ship (Australian Customs Service)

The (Australian) Federal Government says footage shot by the Customs ship the Oceanic Viking, of Japanese whalers killing a whale and its calf, will strengthen any legal case against the whalers.

The footage, released by the Government today, shows a slaughtered minke whale and its calf being hauled up the ramp of the Japanese ship, the Yushin Maru.

The Government is extending the duration of its whaling surveillance program and says the Attorney-General is still considering what kind of legal action should be taken and who it should be brought against.

Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett says the pictures released today support Australia's position.

"I think it's explicitly clear from these images that this is indiscriminate killing of whales, where you have a whale and its calf killed in this way," he said.

"To claim that this is in any way scientific is to continue the charade that surrounded this issue from day one.

"This is the indiscriminate killing of a whale and its calf. It's not scientific, and these pictures make crystal clear what's actually happening in the Southern Ocean, and make crystal clear why we so strongly oppose the activities of the Japanese whalers there.

"The power of the camera and the release of some of this footage means that not only Australians, who care deeply about the fate of these beautiful creatures, but people right around the world, will have a better sense of what's going on down there."

"These photographs show the reality of whaling, the reality of the slaughter of these animals," Customs Minister Bob Debus said.

"They will help us to back the Australian Government's argument in an international court case, the details of which are still being worked out."

Mr Debus said legal action could be taken in the International Whaling Commission or the International Court of Justice.


http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/07/2156543.htm

Frankly, I couldn't care less whether this is a (mother) minke whale & her calf or two completely unrelated whales. Harpooning them like this is hideous, cruel & completely unnecessary. Nor do I believe the nonsense about "random sampling" requirements as part of "scientific research".

Whale kill photos misleading, Japanese say
Posted 5 hours 33 minutes ago
Updated 5 hours 25 minutes ago/ABC News online

The Japanese body responsible for the annual whale kill in the Southern Ocean says the Australian media is using emotional propaganda to mislead the public.

A photo released by the Federal Government this morning showed a harpooned adult female minke whale and a smaller calf being hauled into a whaling ship.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the pair were mother and calf.

But the director-general of Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research, Minoru Morimoto, says this is not true.

"The photographs taken by the Oceanic Viking and which major Australian newspapers published today shows two minke whales, but they are not a mother and her calf as claimed by the media," he said.

"Our research program requires random sampling of the Antarctic population, and therefore there will be a range of sizes.

"It is necessary to conduct random sampling of the Antarctic minke population to obtain accurate statistical data."

Meanwhile the Federal Opposition is calling on the Government to work for a global whaling sanctuary.

The Liberal's Environment spokesman, Greg Hunt, has welcomed the release of images and video from the customs ship the Oceanic Viking but says the Government should do more to protect the animals.

"The next great step forward is the International Whaling Commission and the push for a global whale sanctuary," he said.

"We will be pushing as an alternative government for a global whale sanctuary.

"Let's have the fight, let's have the battle, let's work to create a global whale sanctuary to protect these creatures for all the world for all time."

Mr Hunt says the photos and videos of whales being killed are powerful images and should have been released earlier. ...<cont>

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/07/2157129.htm

msolga, not a chance the mother and calf were 'randomly' harpooned.

disgusting

I would love to have you guys come to deer camp.

Enjoy your celophane wrapped meat.

c.j. holster your pea gun and get a job...

Trust me, I am probably the only one in here with a real job.

cjhsa

For a minute, just consider the plight of whales & why so many people (apart from the Japanese & a few other governments) support the whaling ban.
From a recent article by Peter Singer: This is the reason Australian government, one of many, banned whaling. Of course, there are many other arguments for sparing whales, but consider this one::

....

And because whalers are reluctant to use large amounts of explosive, which would destroy valuable oil or flesh, harpooned whales typically die slowly and painfully. If there were some life-or-death need that humans could meet only by killing whales, perhaps the ethical case could be countered. But everything we get from whales can be obtained without cruelty elsewhere. Thus, whaling is unethical.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/peter-singer/2008/01/21/1200764167345.html[/quote]

As a hunter, I doubt you would be comfortable with any killing of your prey which involves guaranteed prolonged suffering & anguish.

I honestly can't understand what the release of the video & photographs of the slaughtered whale & her calf has to do with Australian authorities acting "calmly". Japan may dispute that the video evidence is not, in fact, a lactating mother and her calf, but the fact is the video evidence shows how brutal & painful the slaughter of whales actually is. And why should we not see what is actually happening? This is the reality of whaling.:

Japan to complain to Australia over whale pictures
February 8, 2008/SMH

Japan says it will complain to Australia after the release of graphic pictures of whaling operations, accusing it of stirring up emotions.

"We had agreed to handle the issue calmly and avoid damaging friendly relations between the two countries," Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Masatoshi Wakabayashi told a news conference today.

"However, Australia released pictures of a whaling vessel and made remarks that don't appear calm," Wakabayashi said.

"We will express our regret about it and call on them through diplomatic channels to act calmly."

Australian media yesterday aired the pictures taken by the Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking showing whales being dragged onto a Japanese ship after being harpooned.

Japan has said the pictures were misleading and did not show a lactating mother and her calf as asserted in Australia.

Japan was deciding in what form and at what level to send the diplomatic message.

"We are considering when we should send the message and at what level," a foreign ministry official said. ...<cont>

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/japan-to-complain-to-australia-over-whale-pictures/2008/02/08/1202234165074.html

Two-thirds of Japanese back whaling: poll
February 8, 2008/SMH

Nearly two-thirds of Japanese people support the country's whaling, which has infuriated Western countries, but enthusiasm is waning among younger people, a poll out today showed.

Japan's Government says whaling is part of the national culture and it has fought bitterly with Western nations led by Australia over its annual hunt of about 1000 whales in the Southern Ocean.

The Asahi Shimbun said 65 per cent of Japanese support continuing the whaling program and that 56 per cent of people backed eating whale meat.

Support for whaling was strong among older men, with close to 80 per cent of men between 40 and 70 favouring eating whale meat.

But the the figure was nearly reversed among Japanese women in their 20s, among whom 58 per cent opposed eating whale.

The newspaper took the survey of 2082 people by telephone on February 2 and 3 amid rising tensions with Australia over the whaling.

Japan resumed its whale hunt last week after it was disrupted in mid-January by anti-whaling protests, including the boarding of one of its ships by two activists from the militant Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Japan uses a loophole in a 1986 global moratorium on whaling that allows "lethal research" on the giant mammals, with the meat then going to dinner plates.

The only nations to defy the moratorium outright are Iceland and Norway. Norway yesterday authorised its crews to harpoon 1052 whales in the 2008 season.

Japan has accused Western nations of cultural insensitivity. The Government-backed whaling research body yesterday accused Australia of "emotional propaganda" by releasing gruesome pictures of whale slaughter.

The newspaper survey comes despite other statistics, often cited by environmentalists, pointing out that most Japanese do not eat whale meat, which is rarely found outside of speciality restaurants and stores.

Consumption of whale meat has decreased to 30 grams per person - equivalent to a slice of sashimi - compared with 2.5 kilograms in the early 1980s.

AFP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/twothirds-of-japanese-back-whaling-poll/2008/02/08/1202234142701.html

If you're not concerned about upsetting yourself, the SMH link (directly above) has links to visual evidence of Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean, taken by the Australian surveillance vessel. Me, I'm not going there.

msolga, they are certainly not speaking for the only 1 percent of Japanese that ingest whale meat.

The people paying to subsidize the Japanese whaling industry are the nations citizens!

Another example of out and out lieing is the aerial wolf slaughter of Alaska. Alaskans voted to halt the hunts by an overwhelming majority. The republican governor thought renting airplanes to great white hunters was a better idea for 'wildlife management'.

Now, the courts and Congress will make the ruling for wolf preservation.

I guess ordinary people need to find ways to get their governments to do their will, Stradee? (I could tell you of so many similar situations, involving different issues, here in Oz ... A lot of conflict right now. Much of it to do with environmental issues.)

But, of course, to get reluctant governments to actually represent people's views seems to require a bit of agitation, yes?

I'm having a bit of trouble trying to understand the nature of the Japanese government's stance is over this issue. It looks rather like it doesn't like images of Japanese whaling being shown (by Australia) to the world. But why should the world not see what actually happens as a result Japan's "scientific whaling" program? And what, precisely, is meant by The Japanese government "taking diplomatic action against Australia" for showing those images? Sounds rather threatening to me.:

Japan to lodge complaint over whaling pictures
February 10, 2008/SMH

JAPAN should stop whaling if it is opposed to international media attention, Greenpeace says. The Japanese Government has announced it will complain to Australia over the release of pictures, taken by the Australian Customs vessel Oceanic Viking, showing harpooned whales being dragged onto a Japanese whaling ship.

The Australian Government said the images, which apparently show the killing of a mother minke whale and its calf, would be used as evidence in international court action against Japan.

But Japan's Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister, Masatoshi Wakabayashi labelled the images "misleading" and said Japan would take diplomatic action against Australia. Greenpeace Australia CEO Steve Shallhorn said if Japan was opposed to the images it should stop whaling. "Japan needs a reality check," Mr Shallhorn said.

"What the Australian government has done is show the world the reality of whaling and if Japan doesn't like that then they should stop whaling."

Mr Shallhorn said releasing the footage was "the right thing to do" and encouraged the government to release more images.

"It is costing taxpayers a considerable amount of money to keep surveillance on the Japanese for an activity that clearly the vast majority of Australian people want Japan to stop.

"Japan is the only country to whale in the Southern Ocean whaling sanctuary and it does so in defiance of popular will in Australia."

AAP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/japan-to-lodge-complaint-over-whaling-pictures/2008/02/09/1202234232217.html

Yep, occasionally. :wink:

:wink:

EU condemns Japanese whaling
February 12, 2008 - 3:09PM/SMH

The European Commission today urged EU governments to take a united stand against whaling.

Referring to recent footage of Japanese whalers, EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas said in a statement: "The graphic images on our television screens bring home the reality of whale hunting. This shows that more than ever the EU needs to be united in opposing whaling."

Japan kills more than 1000 whales each year under a scientific research program allowed by the International Whaling Commission, despite a 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling of many species. The meat is sold at market.

Japan defends the hunts as crucial for research purposes and as part of its food culture, although few Japanese eat whale regularly because the moratorium has limited supplies and other meats such as beef have gained popularity.

Whaling is banned in EU waters. The EU executive wants the 27 EU nations to adopt a common stance against whaling by June, which it then can defend in negotiations through the International Whaling Commission.

AP

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/eu-condemns-japanese-whaling/2008/02/12/1202760278726.html

Refuelled activist ship to resume hunt for whalers


Ready to go ... the Steve Irwin.
Photo: Arsineh Houspian

Andrew Darby in Hobart
February 14, 2008/SMH

THE environment group Sea Shepherd's ship, the Steve Irwin, is to resume its anti-whaling campaign in the Southern Ocean free of legal action by Australia.

Despite Japanese Government calls to act against the hardline environmentalists, the Australian Federal Police is yet to formally interview any Sea Shepherd crew who spent two weeks in port.

Its captain, Paul Watson, said the ship would leave Melbourne today, refuelled and with fresh crew. He was confident of finding the Japanese fleet again with another month left in the season. "If we can get them on the run again for three weeks that could almost put an end to their season," he said.

After Sea Shepherd activists boarded the catcher ship Yushin Maru No.2, Japan asked the Federal Government to take appropriate measures under Australian domestic law when the Steve Irwin returned to port.

The whaling company Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha's president, Kazuo Yamamura, said Australia should seize the Steve Irwin.

However, Mr Watson said the police failed to keep an appointment to meet Sea Shepherd crew the day after the Steve Irwin returned to Melbourne, and had since made no request to see them.

A federal police spokeswoman said yesterday it was still making inquiries.

The Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith, said he condemned any actions that put lives at risk, but it was up to the police to make independent deliberations.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/refuelled-activist-ship-to-resume-hunt-for-whalers/2008/02/13/1202760398965.html