Stopping the hunting of Whales

[Motorbike Man]

Hi folks,

I came across a story recently about the Japanese wanting to increase the amount of Humpback Whales they are allowed to hunt in the name of science.

Using a loophole that allows whales to be killed for scientific study, more than 25,000 whales have been killed since a worldwide ban on commercial whaling was passed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in1986. Yet it's unnecessary to kill whales in order to study them, since non-lethal alternatives already exist.

There is an online petition to protest against the increase. Certain countries are still undecided as to wether or not to allow this to happen, so this petition CAN make a difference

 

[grahoom]

signed. - the over hunting / fishing of such creatures is just wrong. - soon we will not have such majestic being in out seas, and to me that would be terrible.

 

[JakeR]

Signed.

Cheers Jon.

 

[morch]

Signed and thanx

 

[ChrisKavanaugh]

www.seashepherd.org While the japanese are perhaps the most voracious consumers of Whalemeat, Russia mink farms use it for food, Iceland and Norway are major players ( or will be again, Iceland lost half it's fleet to a very vigorous mindnight petition) and Denmark's Faroes islanders take part in a gruesome and meaningless slaughter called the Grind. All this under the feeble excuse of cultural tradition, yet japan only began eating whalemeat during WW2. Our own Makah indians of Washington state were urged by japanese commercial interests to renew their treaty rights to whaling, after abandoning that pursuit for greater fishing rights security. Their traditional hunt consisted of rowing out in a colourful canoe, throwing a lance and then opening up with an equally traditional .50 caliber rifle. The whale was towed ashore, and after tasting their kill the makahs went to a party while a frustrated inuit butcher pleaded for help. The whale rotted and the japanese never bought it, having opened a bargaining wedge against US pressure at the regulations. Their lead harpooner was on probation for drug abuse and according to USCG law never should have been in the boat, let alone handling a rifle firing the round used in our WW2 fighters. Whales also suffer from various naval electronic testing, collisions with ships, getting caught in lost drift nets that are turning wide ocean areas into deserts, pollution and even the collapse of their food chain, one canadian minister promoting the harvesting of Krill for human consumption.

 

[arctic hobo]

Signed. Thanks for the link.

 

[HuBBa]

Yepp. Signed.

 

[Snufkin]

Signed!
I wouldn't object as much if they would admit it was for food (although I would still take a very dim view) but to claim they are acting in the interests of science is disgusting.

 

[Toddy]

Signed and passed on the link to others.
Cheers,
Toddy

 

[beachlover]

Signed and passed on the link to others.
Cheers,
Toddy

Same here!

 

[arctic hobo]

Some news:
IWC upholds whaling ban
The International Whaling Commission (IWC) voted Tuesday to uphold an almost two-decade-old ban on commercial whaling, dealing a setback to Norway, Japan and their allies who favoured a resumption. Norwegian defiance of the ban looks set to continue.

Norway is in the midst of its annual whaling season, in defiance on an international ban upheld on Tuesday.
PHOTO: ANDRÉ PEDERSEN/SUNNMOERSPOSTEN

Related stories:
Whale hunt protests ebb out - 30.05.2005
Whale hunt soon underway - 19.04.2005
Politicians want whaling to save fish - 19.05.2004
Whale meat due in stores soon - 10.05.2004
Whale hunt over, sales down -
Australia pursues Norway's whaling -
Iceland threatens to resume whale hunts -
Japan resumes import of Norwegian whale meat -

IWC members voted 29-23 against the proposal, which needed a three-fourths majority to pass. There were five abstentions, including countries that often have voted with Japan on other issues at the commission.

The 66-member commission, which regulates global whaling, banned commercial hunts in 1986, handing environmentalists a major victory in protecting the species that was near extinction after centuries of whaling.

Norway has defied the ban for years, and is currently in the midst of its annual commercial whaling season, the world's only one Japan, Norway and other nations advocate what they call "sustainable use" of whales.

On Monday, Japan said it would more than double its annual research cull of minke whales to as many as 935 from 440 this year, extending a researching whaling program begun in 1987. Critics call it commercial whaling in disguise.

Japan says it must kill whales to study them. It then sells the meat, which is allowed under commission rules. The US criticized the decision to expand the research hunts, saying scientific advances make it unnecessary to kill whales to study them.

Japan maintains that whaling is a national tradition and that eating meat from mammals forms a vital part of its food culture. Japan claims whale stocks have sufficiently recovered since 1986 to allow the resumption of limited hunts.

Countries led by Australia and New Zealand reject that view. They advocate protecting whales and encouraging alternative ways of profiting from them, through tourism and whale-watching.
Source: Aftenposten online, English edition.

 

[Motorbike Man]

that's good news, now if only they would stop the illegal hunting

 

[2blackcat]

Sorry, I'm late but now signed, MM