Whale Wars

Animal Planet will air a program entitled Whale Wars this fall.  Whale Wars is about Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's members' efforts to interfere with Japanese whaling expeditions.  In one episode, members toss rancid butter onto the deck of a Japanese whaling vessel to make the decks slippery and to spoil the whale meat and two even boarded the vessel, creating an international incident.  The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's actions are not always condoned by other conservation organizations; The International Whaling Commission, a society that protects whales, has been critical of Sea Shepherd's dangerous actions. 

The show is one-sided---there's no attempt made to get the Japanese side of the story, but how can one possibly justify whaling in the modern world?  What, are we trying to get oil from their blubber to light our lamps at night?  It is true that there are many fish in the sea, so concentrate on catching fish, not whales, which are highly-intelligent mammals!  Do I condone Sea Shepherd's radical tactics that they employ in the defense of whales?  If their actions help bring an end to whaling, then yes. 

If you're still wrestling with the "Well, what about people's livelihoods?" argument to whaling, then watch this video from my previous post "Japanese Whaling---Killing a Mother and Calf" and then tell me what you think! 

Comments

[Jeff Hansen]

"The International Whaling Commission, a society that protects whales,"

I think perhaps it best you have a closer look at the IWC, this is by no means an organisation that "protects" whales.

If they were an organisation that protected whales, then they would not allow Japan to set such large "RESEARCH: quotas of 1035 whales including 50 endangered Humpback and 50 endangered fin whales.

If they were about protecting whales they would have an enforcement group to uphold the rules they set.

If they were about Conservation, then they would push harder for the realisation that you can make alot more money from an alive whale through whale watching than a dead whale.

Its more of a glorified boys club thats gets together and wines and dine each of the deligates with half the attendees votes paid for by Japan.

[Paul]

I do commend the group on trying to stop whaling but in my opinion they are going about it all wrong. I only saw two episodes about where they had two crew members captured by a Japanese whaling ship. They boarded the whaling ship without permission and then were held by the Japanese as if they were criminals trespassing on their ship, like any reasonable person would. The Capetian of the Irwin says they are being held hostage & were almost thrown overboard by the Japanese which in the video I saw was an out and out lie. If you board another person's ship you are a criminal despite why you are there. Second they throw acid at the whalers which is nuts. Doesn't the acid pollute the water & maybe eventually contaminate the whales food source??

Then when they go on their night mission they looked like a bunch of armatures that have no concept of safety. They will eventually get some one killed or seriously hurt.

If as they claim the whaling is illegal why is there not a law enforcement type agency chasing down the whaling ships? If they say no funds, why can't these volunteers get proper training and maybe they can legally go after the whalers & get them in court or jail instead of using terrorist type tactics & damaging a ship & maybe hurting or killing a whaler on the ship or one of their own crew members ? This is what happens when radicals believe in something they try & take the law into their own hands & then blame the person they are harassing for a negative response. I hope the media sees how these groups manipulate them to promote their cause & twist the facts to make a provoked response by the whalers sound like an attack instead of self-defense. I am by no means pro-whaler but believe in doing things within the law and properly.