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Will: That is probably the most ridiculous statement I will read all week if not year.
a) they are not fishes, they are mammals. You didnt know that so I would love to see your evidence for suggesting their stock is sufficient to recover. Does that include humpbacks? Its only taken what... 20 or 30 years to recover from the endangered list?
b) their gestation period + developmental period + low number of calves each cycle means that each whale killed takes much, much, much longer to replace through natural breeding in the wild
c) there is not a single whale that is "in excess" in the wild.
d) just because we hate whaling, doesnt mean we love everything else.
I agree about halal meat, and have heard horror stories from people in the abbies, but its apples and oranges. The meat industry in general is extremely unpleasant, and condemning whaling does NOT have anything to do with saying we are all for other things that are bad. Personally I am particularly against the permitting of certain northern aboriginal tribes to "hunt" dugong... its tradition so they use power boats and rifles... real traditional.
Alex: Please do not associate Japanese whaling with true science. True science does not claim to know everything that is happening in the ocean at all. The Japanese claim to scientific research justifying their whale hunts is NOTHING MORE than their exploitation of a loophole in the global moratorium permitting them to kill the creature which is otherwise completely forbidden. Also, I do not believe that telling a Japanese tourist would help.. it would only make them feel more isolated. I know a number of people in Japan right now and (since I expressed my complete disgust at this occurrence) they have told me that they have never seen whale meat for sale, and they have not spoken with anyone who would eat it. In fact, a number of Japanese protest groups exist against it. It is not right to assume that the entire people are guilty... Its kind of like spitting in the face of an Australian for the fact we previously were with America in not rattifying Kyoto... it certainly was not the consensus of the country to do so.
But overall, Japan is permitting its "fisherman" to do some serious wrongs here. Personally Id like to know more about Rudds plan to use the Navy to "prevent" them from doing so, especially in our waters? Problem is, it could lead to a pretty serious conflict if it came to blows.
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