Japan and Whaling

[Odin]

http://www.itv.com/news/index_e44fb9d57b69f5cda74b614df8bc2805.html

Japan and its allies have won a pro-whaling vote for the first time in two decades at an international meeting.

A majority of nations at the International Whaling Commission approved a non-binding declaration that criticised a 1968 moratorium on commercial whaling, blamed whales for depleting fish stocks and said non-governmental organisations were a threat.

GRRRRR! How much you want to bet that the nations that voted with Japan were bribed with economic aid?

Blaming WHALES for depleting fish stocks? A-holes.

[chequita guevara]

[alva]

More than

* sigh *

[Dinner]

Sell torpedos to the whales and watch the Japanese ships get sunk.

[notyoueither]

Why are Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, etc., doing in that organization?

How exactly is Japan bribing them?

[chequita guevara]

So these two whales are swimming along; a boy whale and a girl whale. The boy whale looks up and spots a ship. "Oh noes! A whaling ship!"

Teh girl whale sez, "What'll we do?"

Teh boy whale sez, "I have an idea. You go up on the far side, and blow your spout. When all the sailors run over, I'll swim up on the other side and ram the ship, knocking them all in. Then you swim over and eat the sailors."

Teh girl whale sez, "I'm okay with the blow job, but I'm not swallowing any seamen."

[notyoueither]

It looks to me as if countries with an obsructionist outlook took over the IWC. No whaling, period being the object.

However, that was not the purpose of the IWC.

Japan is threatening to withdraw. That is probably why they won that vote.

Canada withdrew in 1982. I can see why. WTH Switzerland should have any influence on the GoC licensing native bands to take single animals for food and ceremonial purposes is beyond me.

[Winston]

I never understood what's supposed to be so special about whales. If a whale species is not under threat of extinction, go ahead and eat 'em.

Sometimes I really think certain over-emotional people with nothing better to do get more worked up over whales being hunted than if it were, say, windsurfers or balloonists.

[notyoueither]

I can see the POV of people who want whaling banned, entirely. Whales are 'higher life forms' depending on how you look at it.

However, I understand that Japan and a few other countries might not share that philosophy, and hijacking an organisation to carry out an agenda not intended when countries like Norway and Japan joined would be exceedingly frustrating to some people.

[notyoueither]

I'm also suspicious of many or most media reports from most of the world on the topic.

I am very familiar with how much bull**** is peddled when a country continues with a practice the chattering classes don't like, like the seal hunt.

[Winston]

Cows are higher life forms too. They're even milkable life forms! Yet we don't hear any whining when we munch on them.

[notyoueither]

I'm thinking higher along the lines of chimps, dolphins, etc.

Extraordinary intelligence.

[Pekka]

No not the whales!

Japan be the evil! How about another round of firebombings, anyone? I could waste a few of them people right now!

[Kassiopeia]

It's rather difficult to find out reliably if a whale species is in danger of extinction or not should whaling recommence. Whales reach maturity after several years, have a long pregnancy and have to care for the young for many years as well. That means that a whale population can drop really abruptly and without warning if the wrong whales happen to die.

[Winston]

If it tastes sweet, I don't think it makes any difference how "intelligent" an animal is.

Protecting endangered species is of course a valid concern, but not all whale species are endangered.

Hmm, I think I may have come up with a slogan for this, "Whale - the clever snack. Fits in your pocket."