Japan continues to defy the world in its slaughtering of whales despite international prohibitions and a 2014 ruling of the International Court of Justice that its claim of “scientific research” is transparently fraudulent. The latest outrage involved the killing of 333 minke whales on a four-ship, 115-day expedition — death toll that included 200 pregnant females.
Critics scoff at the suggestion that these whales are taken for science. While organs are removed on the pretense of science, the obvious purpose is the meat which is delivered to market to feed the desire for whale. Because it’s breeding time in the southern seas, 90 percent of the females were pregnant.
Japan continues to defy scientific and environmental groups from around the world even though the demand for whale meat has fallen among the Japanese.
Maybe whale blubber goes well with reading Manga rape books, and playing with yourself??? Perhaps the harpoon is nothing but a national phallic symbol for the Japs???
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
The Sea Shepherd organization is the only one tackling this problem in the Southern Oceans and the whale sanctuary. Economic and moral support of this relentless advocate for ocean health is certainly warranted. I contribute regularly. Check them out at seashepherd.org. For the oceans.
Japan also hunts other species of whales:
http://us.whales.org/issues/whaling-in-japan
And there is the infamous bottle nose dolphin slaughter at the Red Cove:
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/20/world/asia/japan-dolphin-hunt/
What a bloody waste. Unless the Japanese people demand their country stop, they will eventually drive more whale species to extinction and unbalance the marine ecosystem.
I suggest streaming Flipper nonstop. There’s also my favorite whale novel, “Sounder.”
Often, the “research” specimens end up in the refrigerators of politicians and other government officials.While there is a loop hole for research there is territory trespassing ignored by Australia and New Zealand.
To the Last Whale:
I should not assume the population estimates are from the Japanese GPS research; I have no proof, just cynicism.
Apparently this whale population is considered stable, although there has been an appreciable decline in population.
From the IWC:
“Commercial exploitation of Antarctic minke whales (the smallest of the large whales) began in the early 1970s, much later than the other large whale species. There are several hundred thousand Antarctic minke whales and thus they are clearly not endangered. However, there has been an appreciable decline in their estimated abundance between the multi-year circumpolar surveys conducted between 1982/83-1988/89 and 1991/92-2003/04. Present estimates of total Antarctic abundance range from around 460,000 – 690,000 (two methods); work continues to determine a final estimate and to determine whether the appreciable decline represents a real decline in abundance, changes in survey methods, changes in the number of animals available to be sighted due to presence within the ice or some combination of these.”
How many minke are being killed annually for “research”? Is it 333 or is it higher?
Is 333 annual harvest too many for the population? If yes, the loophole should be closed.
Should this research only occur when females are not pregnant? Yes, unless it is legitimate research that is non-lethal. Killing pregnant whales is counterproductive to keeping the population stable. It doesn’t sound like the population needs to be kept in check.
We were not tough enough on those Japs after we defeated them in WWII. Should not stopped after just two nuclear strikes.
Elmer Fudd – we only had TWO nuclear bombs and we used both of them. We didn’t have anything but empty threats to use on Japan.
The CNN article says nothing about the “research”. They put GPS devices on the animals to track migration (and sure makes them easy to find when the fleet is on the hunt).
They are using a loophole in the law that allows lethal research. I do not think that caveat intended 333 animals to be killed at one time for research. I doubt the population is strong ehough, as the Japanese claim (with their own research rather than independent research), to support 333 dead animals, let alone 200 pregnant females (no thought to repopulation).
http://news.asiaone.com/news/asia/japan-fleet-kills-333-whales-antarctic-hunt
So apparently the Japanese aren’t terribly concerned about eating Fukushima -irradiated fish,
I have been whale watching off San Diego, but I have no idea what the difference between whales is. Why is a minke more tasty than a sperm?
I’m not big on this environment argument but I think this is a bit much. I lived on the Jersey shore and would head out 80 miles offshore to fish for tuna (recreational). I was allows amazed when we would come upon a pod of whales gliding through the water. I would put the engines in neutral just to watch them go by. I gave up fishing Bluefin tuna because I noticed the schools began deminshing year after year. I could mention a number of things which put a dent in tuna schools but that’s for another day. Let’s hope the Japanese gain a taste for something more abundant, like maybe Islamic terrorists?
Brilliant. Way to go.