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 Japan Hunts HumpbacksPosted on Nov 18, 2007
Under the pretense of scientific research, a fleet of Japanese whaling ships is hunting the humpback whale for the first time in decades. The whaling mission plans on killing roughly 1,000 animals in all, including 50 or so humpbacks. While Japanese officials claim the purpose of the mission is to study whale organs, the meat from the animals will be sold commercially. Japan has lobbied unsuccessfully for years to reverse a moratorium on commercial whaling, and its so-called scientific missions are widely viewed by environmentalists as an attempt to circumnavigate the world community’s general distaste for whaling.
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By Martin, November 19, 2007 at 6:53 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
You can only shame the Japaneses into dropping the idea of whaling and their wet dream of repealing the whaling ban.
Report thisor, maybe environmentalist should collect species of homo japonensis, kill them and study their organs to find out if there are clues to the propensity for violence or cruelty.
Just like Saudi judges need to be gang raped by a bunch of vile criminals, only to be thrown in jail for getting into the wrong part of town.
By PatrickHenry, November 19, 2007 at 6:45 pm #
This is what a U.N. embargo would be good for.
Don’t fall for talk on Whale terrorism or Orca-fascism.
Report thisBy thomas billis, November 19, 2007 at 5:48 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
It is like the guy who keeps getting caught frequenting prostitutes and finally decides to offer up that he is doing research.No fair judge would accept that as an excuse and we should not as citizens of the world accept this facade either.
Report thisBy Verne Arnold, November 19, 2007 at 3:51 am #
Read Farley Mowat’s; “A Whale for the Killing”. If you have an ounce of empathy for the animal nations we share this planet with, then you would be outraged by the Japanese intentions in their whale hunting. They are using the phony pretense of “scientific study”, to justify this senseless slaughter. And now they will include Humpbacks???!!! The very whales we go interact with (in Kayaks and SCUBA gear) and in their gentile manner allow us such close contact with no harm to our person?
Report thisThe Japanese also slaughter thousands of Dolphins every year. Their view of life is very different from ours (they are not all Buddhists).
I’ll be damned if I’ll buy another Japanese product until and unless they stop this abomination.
These people only understand money…so…don’t give them any…period!!!!
By Douglas Chalmers, November 19, 2007 at 3:40 am #
#114434 by DarthMiffy on 11/19 at 3:33 am: “When the “rest of the world” (read: Western world) tells Japan to stop whaling, there are overtones of the old colonial,Imperial, and post-war, MacArthur days...”
Yes, for sure, Darth. If the USA and countries like Australia were still whaling today, it is they and not Japan who would be refusing to stop. They have already proven that with Kyoto and global warming, uhh......!!!
Report thisBy DarthMiffy, November 19, 2007 at 3:33 am #
Western press rarely mentions the underlying cultural aspects that fuel the ongoing desire for whale hunting by Japanese. When the “rest of the world” (read: Western world) tells Japan to stop whaling, there are overtones of the old colonial,Imperial, and post-war, MacArthur days when Japan was told by the “superior West” what to do. This has left a huge aftertaste of resentment. Who is the West to tell Japan what to do? This understandable but unfortunate cultural residue is partly why the whales continue to suffer.
The “scientific research” is of course spurious in the extreme. It’s basically a metaphorical middle finger finger ascendant to the Western powers. Unless this is addressed, the whales will continue to die.
Report thisBy purplewolf, November 19, 2007 at 1:11 am #
Some of the up roar is the albino humpback whale that the Australians keep check on. I didn’t see any mention if it in this article but read about it last week.
We deny the native Eskimos in Alaska to hunt whale the traditional way those people have for generations, all of which is used.
In past when whale hunting was done, the Japanese, once a whale was caught, drag it onto the ship and have it processed into 1 pound blocks of “food” for the freezers on the ship in 1 whole minute. That is sixty seconds from life to totally processed. Unreal. That information was from the Discovery channel when whale hunting was still legal.
Report thisBy chris pash, November 18, 2007 at 5:47 pm #
(Unregistered commenter)
Humpback whales have learned to trust man in the forty-five years since we stopped hunting them.
Report thisIf Japan carries out its aim of harpooning 50 humpback whales in the Antarctic this Southern Hemisphere Summer, the whale watching industry on Australia’s east and west coasts will soon find out.
The humpbacks are the same as those who delight Australians each year and have created a $AU 300 million a year whale watching industry.
There is no benefit to mankind by killing these whales. Their meat won’t help the poor ease their hunger but will grace the tables of the wealthy. The killing is done in the name of science but is it science to kill the subject?
chris pash
http://thelastwhale.blogspot.com
By Douglas Chalmers, November 18, 2007 at 9:49 am #
#114301 by JimBob on 11/18 at 8:52 am: “The Japanese are wonderful people, but they need to change their dietary habits—they are plundering the oceans more than any other nation....”
Wrong, JimBob. Whaling falls in the same category as farm subsidies. That is, in Japan it is a sop to propping up fishing fleet owners and workers just the same as their rice-farming subsidies. But most Japanese are closer to vegetarian (eating tofu + miso) than most European (Caucasian) Americans will ever be.
#114301 by JimBob: “We, too, need to make a change: our insatiable taste for red meat is harming the environment in myriad ways...... it might be a good idea for us all to consider veering our diets in that direction....”
Oh, agreed! I find that I am eating less and less meat and especially red meat these days anyway. That is simply getting away from the old dietary habits of my parents’ generation. Also, cooking different ways (West Asian [M.Eastern], East Asian, etc etc) is helpful, too.
Report thisBy JimBob, November 18, 2007 at 8:52 am #
The Japanese are wonderful people, but they need to change their dietary habits—they are plundering the oceans more than any other nation. We, too, need to make a change: our insatiable taste for red meat is harming the environment in myriad ways. I am not personally a vegetarian, but it might be a good idea for us all to consider veering our diets in that direction.
Report thisBy Hammo, November 18, 2007 at 8:13 am #
These marine mammals such as various species of whales, dolphins and other creatures should be respected.
Researchers have found that these creatures have their own unique and highly-developed intelligence, communications and social relationships.
More on this in the article ...
“Navy dolphins may be deployed: Did secret ESP research involve them?”
American Chronicle
February 14, 2007
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle. asp?articleID=20708
Report this