What do you think about whale wars, and whalers in general?

I love that show. It’s unfortunate, because they don’t have the resources to actually try and stop the Japanese from whaling. They’re trying, but so far they’re failing miserably. I hate the fact that they whale for quite a few reasons. One of the reasons is because they flat out lie and say it’s for research, which is just bullshit. Another reason is because they hunt whales that are endangered.

The only way whaling goes away is if the consumers of whales stop buying whale products. Consumer demand for whale in Japan is still high.

I’m not a whale-product-demanding consumer, but one thing that interests me is the fact that people are actually attacking a traditional way of life which existed for millennia. Try likening it to commercial fishing. Bad when you do it in extremes, but does that mean that we should stop fishing?

I think they are a bunch of ******! but you all know I think of that about anyone who kills any kind of animals in general, and I dont watch those kind of shows for that reason.

like they have no hearts. ughhh. like aren’t there any kind of political actions that could take place to help stop them?

@NazNthahouse23 What the Japanese whalers are doing is legal. That’s why the Sea Shepherds are basically an outlaw organization. The Sea Shepherds have their hearts in the right place as far as I’m concerned but until the law changes, their efforts are largely for naught.

@NazNthahouse23 Interesting… I’d like to ask you a question.. Why would you say that they have no hearts?

Well physically they do, but all they’re worrying about is making a quota of killing all these whales just for profit. They could care less if they are endangered or not.

As for the actions of the crew, I think they are largely sensationalistic which ultimately undermines their cause. I for one think the captain “getting shot” at the the end of season one was faked.

At that range with a pistol,between two ships on somewhat rough seas, there’s no way anyone but the most trained marksman makes that shot and there would have at least been bruising on the target even with a bulletproof vest but the captain was completely unharmed. It’s much more plausible to plant a slug in a bulletproof vest, pull it out and claim to have been shot.

I think the Sea Shepherds are trying to do the right thing, the wrong way.

What do you need whales for? What are “whale products”? I don’t want to sound like an idiot or anything, but I can’t seem to come up with any ideas of what you need whales for.

It makes me think of that Futurama episode where Leela explained that there was no more gasoline because the oil reserves dried up in 2038 and now they use whale oil. lol

@DominicX They eat the meat in Japan.

If we could gather a group of whalers together and demonstrate on one of them what a harpoon is capable of doing to a human body, maybe they’d think twice about what they are doing to the whales. If this ever comes to pass, I’ll volunteer to be the one to fire the harpoon gun at a murderous and despicable whaler.

I guess you all know my feelings now on whale hunting and whalers themselves.

Japanese eat whales. We eat cows, pigs, chickens and lambs. Whales swim free in the ocean until they are killed quickly. Livestock is factory farmed and never smells fresh air or lives a normal life. It is often started to be skinned while still alive. If it lives in the NT of Australia it is often taken off the land, packed onto a road train, taken to port where it is packed into the hold of a ship and sent to a country who tortures it while killing it in the name of religion.

Now tell me which has the worst deal??? I think the whales have it a lot better than domestic animals. I only eat wild caught fish or free range livestock but virtually all of what you buy at the supermarket is factory farmed and/or stockyard fattened.

Let’s get mad about that and realize how lucky the whales are (this excludes endangered species) in comparison.

As someone who enjoys the occasional pilot whale steak (pilot whales are not endangered, but very tasty), I completely agree with @Saturated_Brain ‘s comments about moderation and wholeheartedly disagree with @The_Compassionate_Heretic ‘s opinion of Sea Shepherd’s crew. To me, they’re a bunch of nutters and it’s for very valid reasons they are banned from, and can be shot at if they enter, Russian or Norwegian waters and are also banned from Danish and Icelandic waters.

@rooeytoo The whales do not die quickly. It takes about 25 minutes for them to die, after being harpooned and then shot in the head more than six times. That’s not a fast and painless death.

If had millions, I would gladly donate to them so they could expand their efforts. Because every whaler can set their own quota, even if the whales are not on the verge of extinction, they will be soon. And I fully support any people who try to stop that from happening – whether it’s for the whales, eagles or any other creature on the planet.

@DrasticDreamer – compared to the way livestock is raised and killed, it is fast and painless.

I am simply saying livestock have it much worse but they don’t seem to evoke the same sort of sympathetic response from people. I don’t get it???

Japanese people eat them, why is that different than Americans eating cows that are strung up by one hind leg, throat slit to slowly bleed out and skinning process begun while they are still alive, terrified and struggling with all their compatriots in line watching and waiting their turn?? They are supposed to be shocked or hit on the head first but it often does not kill them immediately.

If I had been born a food animal, I would rather live like the whale until my time is up.

@rooeytoo because cows arent going extinct…..

@uberbatman – I have heard that said so many times and don’t understand it. You are saying it is okay to be inhumane and cruel, to make animals suffer unnecessarily if they are not an endangered species?

Even if I could subscribe to such an absurd theory then it would apply to many types of whales as well, they are not all endangered.

If possible extinction is the only reason to be against cruelty, what was the reason for the uproar regarding Michael Vick and the dogs. USA euthanizes dogs at a rate of millions a week, they are not in danger of extinction.

I wish someone would make a movie about “Free Bessie the Cow,” then perhaps concern about the plight of livestock would become as in vogue as “Free Willie” made the whale.

@rooeytoo no, but i am saying that hunting an endangered animal has much larger consequences. When one link in an ecosystem fails, often many others follow suit. Its not just the whales that will be missed.

Obviously being inhuman to any living animal is wrong, but this isnt just about that, this is about the sustainability of an animal and a whole ecosystem.

@uberbatman – If that is the big picture then I think we should be discussing the greatest danger to sea life in general, not just whales which is the destruction of their habitat by plastic and other garbage, NOT COMMERCIAL WHALERS. The oceans of the world are being polluted at a great rate by disintigrating plastic bottles, bags, diapers, etc.

Chasing a few whaling boats is not going to solve the problem, it is just a feel good bandaid and a media opportunity which distracts from the real causes of creatures becoming extinct.

But it is a lot easier than to stop buying products made of, wrapped in, or poured into plastic. That would require non whaling individuals to deprive themselves of something instead of just telling someone else they have to change their appetites.

I still think the world needs a “Free Bessie” movie.

@rooeytoo really? Commercial whaling has NOOO effect on whale population? Its funny you say that, because i remember something along the lines of the humpback whale almost going extinct, and then they placed a ban on the whaling of humpbacks and surprising enough, after that, they’re population shot back up to over 30000 worldwide. hmmm .

I do however agree, much more needs to be done to save this worlds oceans. This is fucking horrible.

their*

stupid me, fluthering at 5am

It’s hard to believe that countries like Japan or Norway still allow the killing of whales.

yea, i find that a bit odd too.

Some find it odd that people eat the sacred cow. I know, I know it’s not endangered so it’s not really important.

Whaling was in it’s heyday in the 19th century since then many products made from the whale oil are replaced with petroleum products.. I never said it had no effect, but it is not the sole factor or even the major factor depending on whose statistics you choose to believe, in decreasing whale population, whales are hit by ships, get caught in ghost and commercial fishing nets and of course the pollution. It just happens to be the most media worthy, pelting boats with rancid butter and risking lives chasing big ships in rubber dinghys, it is a media circus, the news stations probably subsidize greenpeace just to keep it going on.

I figure that it’s okay as long as the whalers don’t drive the whales to extinction.