Whaling

[my2rotties]

I know slaughter of farm animals is not pretty... however they have the means of dispatching the animal quickly most times.

I have seen footage of whale hunts, and it is bloody... I have never seen a clean kill, and all the other whales are trying to help the one in need... only to be killed themselves. They struggle and flail as they are being dragged onto the boat and cut apart alive.

I completely agree with dsaundry's comments. I posted and asked why this still happens, and never did ask what people thought of farm animals being started

At least with cattle and many animals their hides are made into leather and suede, and the entire body does not go to waste. They pretty much use it all up for one thing or another. What happens to a deal whale?

[bignose]

I don't see a problem with it only if it is controlled and regulated by law. Yes it does look bloody and horrible but face the facts everyone we eat animals cow chicken fish... or in this discussion whales. Remember this is my opinion please don't get angry.

[dsaundry]

Do we need to eat endangered animals/mammals? IMO it would be hard to eat something that you know is endangered.

[spreerider]

I dont think we should be able to regulate the japanese out of their culture, i believe that if they consume the entire animal and use the leftovers to make animal feed etc. then its not a problem as we are using them in the lifecycle like any other animal would.
The whales that are harvested are not the ones that are concidered endangerd, its not grey whales or orcas they are the more plentiful types of whales.

Any videos you see made by peta or sea sheperd or other environmental group only show the worst suffereing they have ever found, they wont show you when the whale dies on the first shot and is processsed long dead.
If we allowed a open fishery on whales then we could set up regulations on the handeling of the target species and proper quotas based on scientific research and have observers onboard the ship to make sure everything is done right. by banning it we would just force it underground and pirate groups would then fill the void for the demand of the goods. Just like everything else that is banned in the world,, you can still get it just not legaly.

[Jamieh]

Probably the best example of Peta's crap is the use of the white coat baby seals in their advertising campaigns for the banning of the seal hunt. Everyone knows that white coats have not been killed for about 30 years. But hey don't let facts get in the way of a good (fundraising) campaign.

[dsaundry]

Top ten facts whalers don't want you to know
1. Some 25,000 whales have been killed since the ban on commercial whaling began.

2. Whales are usually killed with an explosive harpoon that detonates inside the whale's body. If the first harpoon fails to kill the whale, then a second penthrite harpoon or a rifle is used.

3. Some whales take over an hour to die.

4. Today, the meat and blubber of sperm whales caught by the Japanese, under the guise of research whaling, is too polluted to be sold on the Japanese consumer market.

5. By the time the International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986, some whale species had been reduced by more than 95%.

6. There is currently no limit on the number of weapons or bullets that can be used to kill a whale and no upper limit on the acceptable time to death.

7. Japan reported that nearly 60% of whales did not die rapidly or ‘instantaneously' in its hunts in 2002/2003. Norway reported about 20% failed to die ‘instantaneously' in its hunts for the same period.

8. There are only two IWC established sanctuaries in the world. Every year, Japan kills whales in the Southern Ocean Sanctuary, in waters that are supposed to be ‘whaling-free'.

9. The meat from whaling operations, whether commercial or scientific, is used for human consumption. The killing methods fall well short of the standards necessary to achieve humane slaughter in livestock animals.

[dsaundry]

Thats not from Peta or The Sea Shepard society....Let the debate rage on.

[dsaundry]

Just to further stir the pot.
Facts about Whales

Many of the larger whale species were badly depleted in numbers before the moratorium on commercial whaling was introduced in 1986. Many have shown significant recovery since then but others like the Northern Right Whale remain critically endangered. The Japanese have continued killing whales under the loophole of "scientific" whaling in the last 20 years but have directed their attentions largely towards the more locally abundant Minke Whale. Although much of what we know about whales and dolphins has been derived from animals killed by whalers many people believe that important facts about whales should be gathered through non-lethal behavioural and environmental studies. Many of the facts about whales have been gathered from the interaction between man and captive animals.
Commercial Whaling

Anti-whaling nations and conservation groups are currently very concerned that the Japanese are to widen their species profile to include Humpbacks and Fin Whales in their "scientific" whaling programme. They have also stated they intend to double their minke whale kill to just under 1000 animals per annum. The International community consider this activity a yet further flagrant breach of the moratorium imposed by the International Whaling Commission and to be commercial whaling by another name. The whaling nations of the world including Norway, Iceland and Japan are working hard for a resumption of commercial whaling which, if passed, would likely deplete the number of cetacean species. It is likely there would be a free-for-all of whale killing where quotas were flouted, as happened during the previous era of commercial whaling and where so many species were reduced to perilously low levels. It is a sad reflection on the state of the human psyche that during a time of unprecedented environmental depletion nations would even consider the killing of a protected species of marine mammal in International waters - Japan, Norway and Iceland continue this practice for commercial gain. Even if the harvesting of endangered species for commercial gain were acceptable in the 21st century the morality of the methods by which whales are killed are indefensible. Some whales take up to 30 minutes to die while attempts are variously made to dispatch the animal by electric shock or high-powered rifle. This is unacceptable by any civilized nations standards.
In October 2006 Iceland announced it's intention to start commercial whaling again. They have started killing Fin Whales as part of their self allocated commercial quota in addition to Minke Whales. Fin Whales are currently listed on CITES and the IUCN red list as endangered and threatened. This action has set back the work of marine conservationists 20 years and following a decade of unprecedented marine degradation this action sends out completely the wrong message to our children with regard the need to protect and conserve vulnerable marine species and their environment for future generations. There is absolutely no scientific or commercial justification for killing whales, especially endangered species like the Fin Whale. There is little or no domestic market in Iceland for whale meat and exporting endangered Fin Whale meat would contravene CITES. Iceland’s decision to restart commercial whaling is senseless, irresponsible national posturing that will serve nobody’s interest, deplete the stock of an already endangered species and will do lasting damage to Iceland’s increasingly tarnished image on the world stage.

[my2rotties]

Thanks for the info... I wish I knew how the Japanese slipped under the radar with the "research" guise... I read they say it is to research their migrations and diets... I see scientists putting GPS on whales and sharks to learn migrations and breeding habits. Outright murder is not going to teach very much, and I think from centuries of slaughter, they would already know what whales are eating...

Originally Posted by dsaundry

Thats not from Peta or The Sea Shepard society....Let the debate rage on.

[GreenSpottedPuffer]

Originally Posted by Jamieh

Probably the best example of Peta's crap is the use of the white coat baby seals in their advertising campaigns for the banning of the seal hunt. Everyone knows that white coats have not been killed for about 30 years. But hey don't let facts get in the way of a good (fundraising) campaign.

Well that's a whole different issue. I am not a fan of PETA at all but hopefully the seal hunt is banned in Canada soon. With the US and now Europe banning Seal products, Canada is basically going to be forced to stop soon. I was surprised Russia banned the hunt before Canada!

There is a reason Europe is banning the seal products and will not buy Canadian Salmon...