Whale Wars

[La_Dolce_Vita]

I am unclear as to why you bring up this point. The matter I was discussing with Gazza was something about whether an act is only deemed right or wrong depending on whether there is a law in place.

[Nosferatu]

I am unclear as to why you bring up this point. The matter I was discussing with Gazza was something about whether an act is only deemed right or wrong depending on whether there is a law in place.

Funny that because in response to gazza you said you were responding to my post about maritime law and piracy as quoted below

I am responding to Nosferatu on his issue about international law and piracy.

Therefore my response was to emphasise that these laws that you hold no regard for probably do a whole lot more to protect the environment and the creatures that live in it than some halfwitted twats in a trimaran bombing around trying to hug whales .

Just another question LDV say the activists manage to sink a whaling vessel , what do you think happens to all the oil etc aboard that ship ? Could it end up polluting the immediate area around it ? Very green .

[La_Dolce_Vita]

Just another question LDV say the activists manage to sink a whaling vessel , what do you think happens to all the oil etc aboard that ship ? Could it end up polluting the immediate area around it ? Very green .

Well...good point. One POSSIBLE response would be that by putting such a vessel out of action it will deter other whalers and off course end the whaling by that very boat.

 

Funny that because in response to gazza you said you were responding to my post about maritime law and piracy as quoted below

Ah ok, well what I was saying to Gazza was specific to his comments. But what I meant was I responded to you was just that one nation is disregarding laws on whaling and the 'whale huggers' are disregarding maritime law. Both pirates.

[Freggyragh]

Ah ok, well what I was saying to Gazza was specific to his comments. But what I meant was I responded to you was just that one nation is disregarding laws on whaling and the 'whale huggers' are disregarding maritime law. Both pirates.

 

The US allow indigenous groups to catch 50 - 70 critically endangered bowhead whales, Greenland Inuit take around 150 minke whales per year, Norway catches around 500 - 600 minke whales per year, Iceland catches 30 minke whales and 9 fin whales per year, Russia catches 140 grey whales per year, the Faroe Isles catch around 950 long-finned pilot whales per year, and Japan catches 380 minke whales, 50 Brydes whales, 100 sei whales and 10 sperm whales. According to most research these whale populations are growing, and their biggest threats are from marine pollution (including sound pollution from nuclear submarines), depleted fish and krill stocks, collision with commercial shipping, collision with commercial fishing gear, and being eaten by killer whales and sharks. Commercial / scientific whaling at current levels has a practically insignificant impact on numbers - except for the US' quota.

 

Obviously the the Japanese hunt is not entirely for 'scientific research' but they argue that the IWC has totally ignored scientific research when setting quotas because 'saving the whale' is a celebrity driven cause celebre in certain powerful countries, countries where people don't eat whale meat. Unlike Norway and Iceland which tend to join and leave the IWC according to how rational the IWC is behaving, Japan has maintained its membership of the IWC and tried to work with it. The only country that has lodged an official complaint about Japan's whaling is Australia. Australia's biggest agricultural industry is beef production for export, and guess what, its biggest market is Japan.

 

Now, in another thread concerning fishing you say "It seems absolutely ridiculous. It is hardly as if fishing off the amount of fish being pulled out of the sea around the Island by individual anglers is going to have a detrimental effect on the fish stocks." How would you feel if such fishing, regardless of any scientific evidence, and regardless of your dietry preference, became terribly unfashionable, and as a result a group of well heeled 'sea shepherds' made attempts on your life every time you set off with a rod?

 

I can understand if you don't like the idea of killing and eating whales, I wouldn't eat whale myself either - its not part of my culture. Judging by the numbers above, whale meat seems to be most popular amongst the Norse, the Inuit and the Native Americans. Somehow I can't imagine 'sea shepherd' ramming Inuit or Native American whalers though.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

Now, in another thread concerning fishing you say "It seems absolutely ridiculous. It is hardly as if fishing off the amount of fish being pulled out of the sea around the Island by individual anglers is going to have a detrimental effect on the fish stocks." How would you feel if such fishing, regardless of any scientific evidence, and regardless of your dietry preference, became terribly unfashionable, and as a result a group of well heeled 'sea shepherds' made attempts on your life every time you set off with a rod?

Because it has been argued that such whaling will have detrimental effects on the number of whales in existence.

 

And catching a few fish off and putting them back in the water afterwards is a different thing.

[jimbms]

Thanks to Derek & Clive:

 

Whales are fucking stupid. Can you mention one whale in the history of mankind that has had a record in the top ten? Can you? Can you mention one whale who's written the equivalent of, er, 'Othello', Shakespeare, 'Health & Efficiency'? They've produced nothing in the way of literature. All they've fucking produced is a load of other whales and all they eat is fucking plankton, and they call them intelligent.

 

They're such cunts they can't even breathe underwater. They have to keep coming up the whole fucking time and spouting. Then some cunt comes on telly and he says, "Oh, the whale is being wiped out by mankind, save the fucking whales." Well! During the war, did we notice a lot of whales rallying round and saying, "Save England!" I didn't notice many down my part of the world. I didn't see whales coming up with Union Jacks saying, "We'll fight the Boche". No, they were doing fucking all.

 

Fuck em all.