Outrage over Japan's plan to slaughter humpback whales

I've followed this issue pretty closely in the Australian media, woiyo. The information on "research" is not very detailed, generally it goes like this:

....Japan also says lethal research is necessary for accurate data on whales' ages, eating habits and other details and to prove its view that whale species such as the minke are thriving and consuming valuable fish stock - an argument fiercely contested by environmentalists.

<exerpt from earlier post>

Chastised Japan threatens to quit IWC
June 22, 2005 - 9:50PM/the AGE

Japan is threatening to quit the International Whaling Commission (IWC) after the world body voted on Wednesday to urge Tokyo to cut its scientific whale hunt. ...

... Akira Nakamae, of Japan's fisheries ministry, said after the vote that its proposal would go ahead as planned.

Morishita said the science was real and the debate over its programme had become overheated.

Much of the meat from whales killed under Japan's scientific programmes ends up on shop shelves or in upmarket restaurants, rather than in laboratories.

Japan says that killing whales helps them study what they eat, among other things.

"Science and law should prevail over emotions. We believe our research has been supported by science," Morishita said. ..
<complete article>
http://www.smh.com.au/news/environment/chastised-japan-threatens-to-quit-iwc/2005/06/22/1119321793842.html

What a load of CRAP!!!

You could say that!

Well, i was agreeing with what you had posted, largely, with the exceptions noted. Your plan for incarceration sounds fine to me.

It's a shame that we now live in such a consumer driven world, as I would suggest that everyone boycotts Japanese goods as soon as the first whale is killed.
Principles go out of the window when it comes to the latest play station or wide screen TV, but it would be nice though, wouldnt it........just start a silent boycott around the civilised world.

I wonder how long it would be before they noticed it?.............

"So, last July we sold 4 million T.V's, how many did we sell this year?"

"erm......four, Sir.....and two of those were to the factory staff on a 50% workers discount"

WHAAAAAAAT ?????
I can't believe this!


Denied on whales, Japan seeks to add seals to its catch
By Andrew Darby in Ulsan, South Korea
June 23, 2005


Seals on radar.
Photo: Wayne Papps

Japan wants to catch Antarctic seals as well as whales for scientific research.

The director-general of Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research, Hiroshi Hatanaka, said Antarctic crabeater seals, which are the world's most numerous at about 12 million, were a part of the ecosystem model for the Japanese science program. ... <cont>

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/denied-on-whales-japan-seeks-to-add-seals/2005/06/22/1119321792715.html?oneclick=true

I feel the article in the christian science monitor has balanced views.

In any case I am inclined to the opinion cited in the article as follows..

Yes, an interesting article, satt.

I just want to comment on this:

"..More nations from Asia, Northern Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean are now saying that the 66-member group ought to be less concerned with protecting whales than with promoting more hands-on environmental management as some whale species have recovered."

In blow-by-blow daily accounts in the Oz media we've heard of the lobbying process by both sides. There are nations that have taken little or no interest in whaling in the past who are suddenly very "pro" whaling, as a result of Japanese lobbying & incentives. I think we have to take the stance of some of these nations with a grain of salt. I still argue that the protection & welfare of whales should be taken over by a more appropriate body. The IWC process is very flawed & too open to corruption.

... & I'm still waiting to hear of any real bonus to whales, humans or the planet as a result of "scientic" whaling.

"... (Australian)Federal Environment Minister Senator Ian Campbell says he would like to see governments from around the world take the issue of whaling more seriously.

Senator Campbell has just returned from the IWC meeting, where he says only a small group of countries sent their environment and conservation ministers....

..."I simply can't see how nations who take leadership on environmental reforms in every other area of the biosphere and every other area of biodiversity can send delegates along who vote vigorously and speak vigorously and lobby vigorously to slaughter whales and see them drown in their own blood," he said.

Danish bid for commercial whaling fails:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200506/s1399801.htm

Stick that in your blowhole and smoke it
By Elisabeth Lopez
Analysis
June 25, 2005 - 12:00AM

Look what they've been saying about us (anti-whaling Australians) in Japan over this whaling business:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/creative--media/stick-that-in-your-blowhole/2005/06/24/1119321890959.html

..& the response from the conservationists: not happy either:

Politics of the hunt
http://www.theage.com.au/news/general/politics-of-the-hunt/2005/06/24/1119321899891.html

From theage.com article, "Stick that in your blowhole" that msolga linked to: "OPQ" writes: "whales are hapier (sic) than cows. Whales have lived a natural and a free life until they are killed where as cows, and pigs are not. Isen't there some kind of double morals?"


Ummm, well, isn't this true? (Poorly written, but still...) Why are some animals so worthy of respect and concern to us, but others spend their entire lives suffering and we don't care? Setanta is upset about this, yet started a whole thread about meat-eating just to try to irritate people who think that all animals deserve humane treatment. I really don't understand the double standard. Is it just that we find whales so beautiful that hunting them upsets us? Does hunting them seem more inhumane than slaughtering other animals?

Msolga, you're from Australia, where sheep ranchers commonly perform mulesing, which is a repulsive and cruel practice. Are you concerned about this too?

I don't mean to sound confrontational, but really wonder why this is...

Yes, I am, dora17 ... & a variety of other uneccessary cruelties toward animals.

good! that makes two of us I am very much opposed to Japan's slaughter of whales and am glad that you started this thread, I just wonder why some who advocate hunting in other cases are against the hunting of whales.

I am not a hunter, but i am also not opposed to hunting for food. Hunters in the United States have always been at the forefront of species preservation efforts, for the simple reason that they don't want to see game species disappear. It has had far reaching consequences, as well. Ducks Unlimited is the most successful organization in the country at preserving wetlands and flyways, which benefits far more species than simply birds in general or ducks specifically.

Hunters do not hunt game on an assembly-line basis, with factory ships, to the brink of extinction. This is precisely what whaling does.

Could we import their representatives to my state (Victoria, Oz) please, Setanta? "Duck season" is a debacle here, with conservationists confronting the shooters on a regular basis. There have been some concessions to the conservationists, but not nearly enough. Some shocking cruelty & damage to the duck population & wetlands have occurred in the name of hunting. It's a hot issue!

Dora, I was in no way trying to suggest that Australians are perfect compared to other countries on animal cruelty/conservation issues. Our live sheep export trade to the Middle East is an absolute disgrace (another extremely heated battle ground!) I can barely bring myself to watch the news reports, it's so distressing. But I think, on this issue (whaling), the Australian have got it right & the Japanese & the other pro-whaling countries have got it wrong. Also, as the IWC was meeting to discuss Japan's proposal it was a very timely issue.

I didn't think you were! I agree that Australia is on the right side of this issue, which is commendable.

But I just couldn't help but wonder why the treatment of some animals arouses such concern and passion; Australia's politicians are trying to do something about the whale issue though the sheep trade in the same country is terribly cruel.

I guess the answer is, as Setanta says, that most people are concerned with species endangerment, not cruelty; this explains why people can approve of hunting and/or eating some species and not others. To me the issue is humane treatment, and this is why I raised the question of our concern for some animals and not others. (and when I asked you about mulesing, msolga, I suspected that you would be opposed to that practice as well, but I wanted to ask just to be sure)