Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Mercury
(13) WHAT EXACTLY IS MERCURY, METHYL MERCURY, DDT's AND PCB's? WHAT IS A SAFE LIMIT AND HOW MUCH IS IN WHALE MEAT?
Whale meat is riddled with mercury, dioxins, DDT, and PCBs at extremely high, dangerous levels. This same polluted flesh is being fed to Japanese school children in their cafeterias and sold to unwitting families nationwide. Exposure to such high levels of mercury can result in permanent brain and kidney damage. Furthermore, mercury overdose can result in neurological and digestive issues. Studies have found that the whale flesh sold in Japan uniformly exceeds the the 0.4 micrograms/wet g mercury and 0.3 micrograms/wet g methylmercury limit set by the Japanese government.
"Two main classes of pollutants have been found in cetacean meat: organic pollutants, including Organochlorines such as PCB's and DDT, which are long-lived chemicals that tend to accumulate in fatty tissues; and heavy metals like Mercury. Heavy metals are not biodegradable. They have long biological half-lives and also accumulate in tissues. Mercury is of the greatest concern as it is transformed in the marine environment to methyl mercury, which makes it even more toxic.
Toxins accumulate in the marine environment through industrial combustion processes, waste water run off and dumping of garbage, although there are limited natural sources as well. Cetaceans, like humans, are particularly susceptible due to our physiology, primarily due to the presence of fat cells that absorb and store chemicals.
While it is difficult to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between exposure to polluted cetacean meat and human health there is data that correlates the presence of PCB's, DDT and Mercury in humans, with learning and cognitive development disorders, weakened immune systems, reproductive failure, cancers and endocrine disruptions. Many PCB's also are estrogen imitators which make them even more damaging to women, as high levels of estrogen have been linked with various forms of cancer." - Cetacean Society International; http://csiwhalesalive.org/csi07402.html
"The concentrations of total mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (SDDT, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene [HCB], and SHCH) were determined in 61 whale meat products (bacon, blubber, red meat, liver, intestine, and tongue) purchased from retail outlets across Japan. Mean (range) concentrations of contaminants in all samples were: total mercury 4.17 (0.01–204); SPCB 1.14 (0–8.94); SDDT 0.98 (0–7.46); dieldrin 0.07 (0–0.35); HCB 0.06 (0–0.22); and SHCH 0.07 (0–0.19) µg/g (wet weight). The data were used to calculate estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of contaminants at two hypothetical levels of whale meat consumption. These EDIs were compared with FAO/WHO “tolerable daily intake” (TDI) values for each chemical. EDIs calculated for higher levels of whale meat consumption were in some cases exceptionally high and for many products exceeded FAO/WHO-TDIs for total mercury, PCBs, and dieldrin, with exceedance factor values (EDI/TDI) for total mercury, PCBs, and dieldrin reaching maximums of 175, 5.36, and 2.1, respectively. For sensitive consumers and those with high-level consumption (e.g., whaling communities), exposure to mercury and to a lesser extent PCBs from certain whale blubber and bacon and striped dolphin liver products could lead to chronic health effects. The Japanese community should therefore exercise a precautionary approach to the consumption of such foods in excess, particularly by high-risk members of the population." http://palumbi.stanford.edu/manuscripts/Simmonds%20et%20al%202002.pdf
"Tests on whalemeat on sale in Japan have revealed astonishing levels of mercury. While it has long been known that the animals accumulate heavy metals such as mercury in their tissues, the levels discovered have surprised even the experts.
Two of the 26 liver samples examined contained over 1970 micrograms of mercury per gram of liver. That is nearly 5000 times the Japanese government's limit for mercury contamination, 0.4 micrograms per gram.
At these concentrations, a 60-kilogram adult eating just 0.15 grams of liver would exceed the weekly mercury intake considered safe by the World Health Organization, say Tetsuya Endo, Koichi Haraguchi and Masakatsu Sakata at the University of Hokkaido, who carried out the research. "Acute intoxication could result from a single ingestion," they warn in a draft paper accepted for publication in The Science of the Total Environment."- New Scientist
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2362-extreme-mercury-levels-revealed-in-whalemeat-.html
Scientific American:
"[Researchers] analyzed the total mercury content in samples of red meat, or muscle, which is the most popular whale product sold for human consumption in Japan. The researchers found that mercury levels in all 137 meat samples exceeded the guidelines of 0.4 part per million set by the Japanese government. In fact, samples of false killer whale and striped dolphin surpassed the regulations by 200 and 160 times, respectively. In total, the team identified nine different whale species and six types of dolphins and porpoises being sold as food, and determined that average mercury levels in meat from Northern cities were higher than those in samples bought in southern markets."
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000D97EE-31FF-1EC9-8E1C809EC588EF21
The abstract from the actual study:
"We also analyzed the DNA of these to obtain information regarding species. According to the genetic analysis, the red meats originating from nine species of odontocete and six species of mystecete were sold in Japanese markets. T-Hg concentrations in all odontocete red meats (0.52-81.0 g/wet g, n = 137) exceeded the provisional permitted level of T-Hg in marine foods set by the Japanese government (0.4 g/wet g). The highest and second highest levels of T-Hg in the red meats were found in the false killer whale (81.0 g/wet g) and striped dolphin (63.4 g/wet g), respectively. These concentrations of T-Hg exceeded the permitted level of T-Hg by about 200 and 160 times, respectively, suggesting the possibility of chronic intoxication by methyl mercury due to frequent consumption of odontocete red meats." - http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/esthag/2003/37/i12/abs/es034055n.html
"Mercury is very dangerous to children. Relatively low concentrations keep a child's brain from developing normally. Kids with mercury poisoning have problems with thinking, language, memory, motor skills, perception, and behavior...Myers suggests these large doses of mercury may be more harmful than mercury concentrations over time." - WebMD http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20030515/mercury-in-fish-no-problem-in-pregnancy
MERCURY!!
Companys know whale meat is contaminated and still sell it to people. Does 7-11 hate the Japanese people?
http://www.eia-international.org/cgi/news/news.cgi?t=template&a=216&source=
The horrifying fallout of consuming mercury-polluted fare on the fetus caught the world off guard in the 1950s during a poisoning outbreak in Minamata and Niigata, Japan.
I can't find the link however to the catch of sperm whales in recent years. A customer died from the contaminated meat (mad whale prion or mercury?) and the scandal resulted in the company being destroyed or something. can anyone find the link for this? lol lost on the world wide internet. Serious though its like its been erased.
Whale meat is riddled with mercury, dioxins, DDT, and PCBs at extremely high, dangerous levels. This same polluted flesh is being fed to Japanese school children in their cafeterias and sold to unwitting families nationwide. Exposure to such high levels of mercury can result in permanent brain and kidney damage. Furthermore, mercury overdose can result in neurological and digestive issues. Studies have found that the whale flesh sold in Japan uniformly exceeds the the 0.4 micrograms/wet g mercury and 0.3 micrograms/wet g methylmercury limit set by the Japanese government.
"Two main classes of pollutants have been found in cetacean meat: organic pollutants, including Organochlorines such as PCB's and DDT, which are long-lived chemicals that tend to accumulate in fatty tissues; and heavy metals like Mercury. Heavy metals are not biodegradable. They have long biological half-lives and also accumulate in tissues. Mercury is of the greatest concern as it is transformed in the marine environment to methyl mercury, which makes it even more toxic.
Toxins accumulate in the marine environment through industrial combustion processes, waste water run off and dumping of garbage, although there are limited natural sources as well. Cetaceans, like humans, are particularly susceptible due to our physiology, primarily due to the presence of fat cells that absorb and store chemicals.
While it is difficult to establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship between exposure to polluted cetacean meat and human health there is data that correlates the presence of PCB's, DDT and Mercury in humans, with learning and cognitive development disorders, weakened immune systems, reproductive failure, cancers and endocrine disruptions. Many PCB's also are estrogen imitators which make them even more damaging to women, as high levels of estrogen have been linked with various forms of cancer." - Cetacean Society International; http://csiwhalesalive.org/csi07402.html
"The concentrations of total mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides (SDDT, dieldrin, hexachlorobenzene [HCB], and SHCH) were determined in 61 whale meat products (bacon, blubber, red meat, liver, intestine, and tongue) purchased from retail outlets across Japan. Mean (range) concentrations of contaminants in all samples were: total mercury 4.17 (0.01–204); SPCB 1.14 (0–8.94); SDDT 0.98 (0–7.46); dieldrin 0.07 (0–0.35); HCB 0.06 (0–0.22); and SHCH 0.07 (0–0.19) µg/g (wet weight). The data were used to calculate estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of contaminants at two hypothetical levels of whale meat consumption. These EDIs were compared with FAO/WHO “tolerable daily intake” (TDI) values for each chemical. EDIs calculated for higher levels of whale meat consumption were in some cases exceptionally high and for many products exceeded FAO/WHO-TDIs for total mercury, PCBs, and dieldrin, with exceedance factor values (EDI/TDI) for total mercury, PCBs, and dieldrin reaching maximums of 175, 5.36, and 2.1, respectively. For sensitive consumers and those with high-level consumption (e.g., whaling communities), exposure to mercury and to a lesser extent PCBs from certain whale blubber and bacon and striped dolphin liver products could lead to chronic health effects. The Japanese community should therefore exercise a precautionary approach to the consumption of such foods in excess, particularly by high-risk members of the population." http://palumbi.stanford.edu/manuscripts/Simmonds%20et%20al%202002.pdf
"Tests on whalemeat on sale in Japan have revealed astonishing levels of mercury. While it has long been known that the animals accumulate heavy metals such as mercury in their tissues, the levels discovered have surprised even the experts.
Two of the 26 liver samples examined contained over 1970 micrograms of mercury per gram of liver. That is nearly 5000 times the Japanese government's limit for mercury contamination, 0.4 micrograms per gram.
At these concentrations, a 60-kilogram adult eating just 0.15 grams of liver would exceed the weekly mercury intake considered safe by the World Health Organization, say Tetsuya Endo, Koichi Haraguchi and Masakatsu Sakata at the University of Hokkaido, who carried out the research. "Acute intoxication could result from a single ingestion," they warn in a draft paper accepted for publication in The Science of the Total Environment."- New Scientist
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2362-extreme-mercury-levels-revealed-in-whalemeat-.html
Scientific American:
"[Researchers] analyzed the total mercury content in samples of red meat, or muscle, which is the most popular whale product sold for human consumption in Japan. The researchers found that mercury levels in all 137 meat samples exceeded the guidelines of 0.4 part per million set by the Japanese government. In fact, samples of false killer whale and striped dolphin surpassed the regulations by 200 and 160 times, respectively. In total, the team identified nine different whale species and six types of dolphins and porpoises being sold as food, and determined that average mercury levels in meat from Northern cities were higher than those in samples bought in southern markets."
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000D97EE-31FF-1EC9-8E1C809EC588EF21
The abstract from the actual study:
"We also analyzed the DNA of these to obtain information regarding species. According to the genetic analysis, the red meats originating from nine species of odontocete and six species of mystecete were sold in Japanese markets. T-Hg concentrations in all odontocete red meats (0.52-81.0 g/wet g, n = 137) exceeded the provisional permitted level of T-Hg in marine foods set by the Japanese government (0.4 g/wet g). The highest and second highest levels of T-Hg in the red meats were found in the false killer whale (81.0 g/wet g) and striped dolphin (63.4 g/wet g), respectively. These concentrations of T-Hg exceeded the permitted level of T-Hg by about 200 and 160 times, respectively, suggesting the possibility of chronic intoxication by methyl mercury due to frequent consumption of odontocete red meats." - http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/esthag/2003/37/i12/abs/es034055n.html
"Mercury is very dangerous to children. Relatively low concentrations keep a child's brain from developing normally. Kids with mercury poisoning have problems with thinking, language, memory, motor skills, perception, and behavior...Myers suggests these large doses of mercury may be more harmful than mercury concentrations over time." - WebMD http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20030515/mercury-in-fish-no-problem-in-pregnancy
MERCURY!!
Companys know whale meat is contaminated and still sell it to people. Does 7-11 hate the Japanese people?
http://www.eia-international.org/cgi/news/news.cgi?t=template&a=216&source=
The horrifying fallout of consuming mercury-polluted fare on the fetus caught the world off guard in the 1950s during a poisoning outbreak in Minamata and Niigata, Japan.
I can't find the link however to the catch of sperm whales in recent years. A customer died from the contaminated meat (mad whale prion or mercury?) and the scandal resulted in the company being destroyed or something. can anyone find the link for this? lol lost on the world wide internet. Serious though its like its been erased.
JAPAN SAYS MINKE NUMBERS ARE BURSTING AND CAN BE EASILY HUNTED SUSTAINABLY. CAN THEY NOT?
(12) JAPAN SAYS MINKE NUMBERS ARE BURSTING AND CAN BE EASILY HUNTED SUSTAINABLY. CAN THEY NOT?
There have been no credible population counts. The population data the Japanese quote are all extrapolations. Scientists admit that there is great uncertainty in the numbers.
Studies of different populations show different growth rates. Studies of the same population using different methods result in different growth rates. Using growth rate and population size as an argument to justify whaling is a tremendous oversimplification of the issue and cannot withstand even rudimentary inspection.
Yet, the Japanese continue to slaughter thousands of whales while making baseless population claims. In fact, the Japanese are slaughtering 50 fin whales and 950 minke whales this season alone.
Minke whales, whom the Japanese tout as plentiful, are actually categorized into two genetically distinct groups: O and J.
"The origins of the minke whales (i.e., whether they had been caught in the Antarctic or the Pacific) were also determined. Several meat samples from Pacific minke whales were found to originate from the endangered population known as the “J-stock."
http://palumbi.stanford.edu/manuscripts/Simmonds%20et%20al%202002.pdf
"Products from the protected East Sea/Sea of Japan (‘J’ stock) minke whales (Balaenoptera acuturostrata) are sold widely on the commercial markets of Japan and Korea despite the protection of this stock since 1986. To determine the minimum number of individual whales for sale, genotypes from six microsatellite loci were used to profile North Pacific (NP) minke whale products purchased on these markets between December 1997 and October 1999. Genotype differences showed that 99 NP minke whale products from the Japanese market represented 86 unique individuals. Of these, 33.7% were of likely J-stock origin based on mitochondrial (mt) DNA haplotypes. In Korea, genotyping showed that 23 NP minke products from March 1999 represented 18 individuals, and 19 products from October 1999 represented 16 individuals. No matches were found between the two sampling periods, giving a total of 34 unique individuals. A frequency-of-capture model suggests that 98 minke whales were present on the Korean market over the two brief sampling periods. No genotype matches were confirmed between the two countries, indicating that undocumented exploitation of this depleted stock must be additive, and greater than previously assumed."
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1017/S1367943002002202
Better Sampling of J Stock Minke Whales. In light of the decline and small current size of the J stock of minke whales (Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea-East China Sea stock), and the LACK OF THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF TOTAL ANNUAL REMOVALS (not originally caps, had to highlight this point), the workshop wished to express support for the concerns raised at the 51st meeting of the IWC Scientific Committee (1999) concerning removals of J-stock minke whales.
http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-286.PDF
The International Whaling Commission considers the western North Pacific to have two Minke whale stocks. The so-called ‘J-stock’ inhabits the Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea (Goto and Pastene 1997) and the ‘O-stock’ is found in the Sea of Okhotsk and north Pacific waters. The IUCN review indicates that the J-stock declined by more than 50% in the past from intensive whaling by China, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. (Taiwan banned whaling in 1981). O-stock is also thought to be low but it is less depleted than J-stock. Japan continues to hunt North Pacific Minke whales, taking at least 100 (now upped to 950 whales!!) per year under a national permit for scientific research (IUCN). Minke whales are also taken annually as a fishery bycatch in South Korean and Japanese waters. Minke whales sold in Japanese markets are mostly from J-stock (Dalebout et al. 2002). There is concern for the stock’s long-term survival (Baker et al. 2000).
http://www.pwlf.org/minkewhale/conservation.htm
• The IWC has not accepted Japan’s claim that there are more than one million minke whales. The IWC and CITES have recognized
two separate species—the northern hemisphere, Balaenopetera acutorostrata, and the southern hemisphere,B. bonaerensis. The
IWC’s Scientific Committee concluded in 2000 that the abundance estimate for the southern Hemisphere species was “no longer
valid“. There are indications that the actual figure may be as low as 40% of the previous estimate.
• B.acutorostrata is regarded as consisting of two, and possibly three subspecies: the North Atlantic population (B.a.acutorostrata); the North Pacific population (B.a. scammoni (=davidsoni); and the “dwarf” minke whale (B. a. subsps.) which is found in parts of the Southern Ocean.
• In addition to the three minke whale stocks addressed in the Proposal, there are several other poorly known populations of common minke whale, including populations in the western North Atlantic, North Pacific and Northern Indian Oceans.
• Japan claims that the IWC’s Scientific Committee has endorsed a population estimate of 25,000 for the Okhotsk Sea – West Pacific
Stock. However, despite recent reviews of abundance estimates for this stock, its structure remains unresolved. The Scientific
Committee has not yet reached agreement on whether there are two, three or even four populations involved.
• The endangered J stock of minke whale (which numbers approximately 900 animals and is intended to remain on Appendix I) mixes seasonally with the Okhotsk Sea - West Pacific stock (O stock). Market surveys show that significant numbers of J stock whales are hunted in Japan’s “scientific whaling” programme and caught in fishing operations. Trade will cause significant enforcement problems for the visually indistinguishable J stock and may cause its extinction.
• The Northeast Atlantic stock, classified by IWC as a “Protection Stock”, has been reduced to an estimated 45 - 70% of pre-exploitation abundance. The Scientific Committee has not endorsed Japan’s claim of a 2% annual population increase since 1989, nor has it formally accepted an abundance estimate of 107,000 as the Proposal states. In fact, the latest abundance estimates by Norway are lower, albeit within margins of statistical error, than corresponding estimates from 1995 and the IWC continues to examine the issue.
• The Proposal overstates population estimates by as much as 160%. The IWC accepted 28,000 as the best estimate of the North Atlantic Central Stock in 1990 and has not revised this since. Japan refers to an estimate of 72,100 calculated from surveys in 1995, which has not been approved by the IWC.
http://www.ssn.org/Meetings/cop/cop13/Factsheets/SSNCOP13_whales_EN.pdf
There have been no credible population counts. The population data the Japanese quote are all extrapolations. Scientists admit that there is great uncertainty in the numbers.
Studies of different populations show different growth rates. Studies of the same population using different methods result in different growth rates. Using growth rate and population size as an argument to justify whaling is a tremendous oversimplification of the issue and cannot withstand even rudimentary inspection.
Yet, the Japanese continue to slaughter thousands of whales while making baseless population claims. In fact, the Japanese are slaughtering 50 fin whales and 950 minke whales this season alone.
Minke whales, whom the Japanese tout as plentiful, are actually categorized into two genetically distinct groups: O and J.
"The origins of the minke whales (i.e., whether they had been caught in the Antarctic or the Pacific) were also determined. Several meat samples from Pacific minke whales were found to originate from the endangered population known as the “J-stock."
http://palumbi.stanford.edu/manuscripts/Simmonds%20et%20al%202002.pdf
"Products from the protected East Sea/Sea of Japan (‘J’ stock) minke whales (Balaenoptera acuturostrata) are sold widely on the commercial markets of Japan and Korea despite the protection of this stock since 1986. To determine the minimum number of individual whales for sale, genotypes from six microsatellite loci were used to profile North Pacific (NP) minke whale products purchased on these markets between December 1997 and October 1999. Genotype differences showed that 99 NP minke whale products from the Japanese market represented 86 unique individuals. Of these, 33.7% were of likely J-stock origin based on mitochondrial (mt) DNA haplotypes. In Korea, genotyping showed that 23 NP minke products from March 1999 represented 18 individuals, and 19 products from October 1999 represented 16 individuals. No matches were found between the two sampling periods, giving a total of 34 unique individuals. A frequency-of-capture model suggests that 98 minke whales were present on the Korean market over the two brief sampling periods. No genotype matches were confirmed between the two countries, indicating that undocumented exploitation of this depleted stock must be additive, and greater than previously assumed."
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1017/S1367943002002202
Better Sampling of J Stock Minke Whales. In light of the decline and small current size of the J stock of minke whales (Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea-East China Sea stock), and the LACK OF THOROUGH KNOWLEDGE OF TOTAL ANNUAL REMOVALS (not originally caps, had to highlight this point), the workshop wished to express support for the concerns raised at the 51st meeting of the IWC Scientific Committee (1999) concerning removals of J-stock minke whales.
http://swfsc.noaa.gov/publications/TM/SWFSC/NOAA-TM-NMFS-SWFSC-286.PDF
The International Whaling Commission considers the western North Pacific to have two Minke whale stocks. The so-called ‘J-stock’ inhabits the Sea of Japan, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea (Goto and Pastene 1997) and the ‘O-stock’ is found in the Sea of Okhotsk and north Pacific waters. The IUCN review indicates that the J-stock declined by more than 50% in the past from intensive whaling by China, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. (Taiwan banned whaling in 1981). O-stock is also thought to be low but it is less depleted than J-stock. Japan continues to hunt North Pacific Minke whales, taking at least 100 (now upped to 950 whales!!) per year under a national permit for scientific research (IUCN). Minke whales are also taken annually as a fishery bycatch in South Korean and Japanese waters. Minke whales sold in Japanese markets are mostly from J-stock (Dalebout et al. 2002). There is concern for the stock’s long-term survival (Baker et al. 2000).
http://www.pwlf.org/minkewhale/conservation.htm
• The IWC has not accepted Japan’s claim that there are more than one million minke whales. The IWC and CITES have recognized
two separate species—the northern hemisphere, Balaenopetera acutorostrata, and the southern hemisphere,B. bonaerensis. The
IWC’s Scientific Committee concluded in 2000 that the abundance estimate for the southern Hemisphere species was “no longer
valid“. There are indications that the actual figure may be as low as 40% of the previous estimate.
• B.acutorostrata is regarded as consisting of two, and possibly three subspecies: the North Atlantic population (B.a.acutorostrata); the North Pacific population (B.a. scammoni (=davidsoni); and the “dwarf” minke whale (B. a. subsps.) which is found in parts of the Southern Ocean.
• In addition to the three minke whale stocks addressed in the Proposal, there are several other poorly known populations of common minke whale, including populations in the western North Atlantic, North Pacific and Northern Indian Oceans.
• Japan claims that the IWC’s Scientific Committee has endorsed a population estimate of 25,000 for the Okhotsk Sea – West Pacific
Stock. However, despite recent reviews of abundance estimates for this stock, its structure remains unresolved. The Scientific
Committee has not yet reached agreement on whether there are two, three or even four populations involved.
• The endangered J stock of minke whale (which numbers approximately 900 animals and is intended to remain on Appendix I) mixes seasonally with the Okhotsk Sea - West Pacific stock (O stock). Market surveys show that significant numbers of J stock whales are hunted in Japan’s “scientific whaling” programme and caught in fishing operations. Trade will cause significant enforcement problems for the visually indistinguishable J stock and may cause its extinction.
• The Northeast Atlantic stock, classified by IWC as a “Protection Stock”, has been reduced to an estimated 45 - 70% of pre-exploitation abundance. The Scientific Committee has not endorsed Japan’s claim of a 2% annual population increase since 1989, nor has it formally accepted an abundance estimate of 107,000 as the Proposal states. In fact, the latest abundance estimates by Norway are lower, albeit within margins of statistical error, than corresponding estimates from 1995 and the IWC continues to examine the issue.
• The Proposal overstates population estimates by as much as 160%. The IWC accepted 28,000 as the best estimate of the North Atlantic Central Stock in 1990 and has not revised this since. Japan refers to an estimate of 72,100 calculated from surveys in 1995, which has not been approved by the IWC.
http://www.ssn.org/Meetings/cop/cop13/Factsheets/SSNCOP13_whales_EN.pdf
(12) IF THERE ARE NO GOOD PRO WHALING ARGUMENTS, THEN WHY WOULD THEY WHALE?
THE SECOND ARGUMENT is based on Japans military historical goals and the economic state of Japan.
There is NOT a decent amount of valuable natural resources within Japan’s borders, yet the Japanese have always wanted one.
The country is a mountainous, volcanic island country. It is known that Japan has inadequate resources to support its growing economy and large population and this was a motivator for her behavior during the Second World War.
Although some resources have indeed been extracted in past times, most mineral resources had to be imported in the post-war era.
The nation’s large and varied forest resources, which covered 70 percent of the country in the late 1980s, were not utilized extensively. Because of the terrain, underdeveloped road network, and high percentage of young trees, domestic sources were only able to supply between 25 and 30 percent of the nation's timber needs.
Agriculture and fishing were the best developed resources, but only through years of painstaking investment and toil. The nation therefore built up the manufacturing and processing industries to convert raw materials imported from abroad.
This strategy of economic development necessitated the establishment of a strong economic infrastructure to provide the needed energy,transportation, communications, and technological know-how as we all know Japan is famous for in todays world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Japan
NOW.... let’s all take a look outside the box. Could Japan have ulterior agendas on whaling off Antarctica?
Antarctica is filled with unlimited resource wealth.
ICE: One of Antarctica's most important resources is ice. It is said that Antarctica's ice accounts for 90% of the worlds fresh water. As a resource it has potential as a fresh water supply.
COAL: There are coal deposits found along the coast of Antarctica. It is also very wide spread throughout the Trans-Antarctic Mountains. Coal is used as a source of direct heat and also to generate electricity in coal burning power plants.
PETROL: Petroleum deposits are formed when plants and small animal remains are buried in a marine environment by sand and mud. These remains then build up as hydrocarbons and are trapped by a layer of rock that the hydrocarbons cannot pass through. Most of the speculation about petroleum in Antarctica comes from finding petroleum on the other Southern continents which were at one time connected together. The petroleum deposits thought to be on the offshore regions of Antarctica would probably be most feasible to obtain.
METALS: Mineral resources have not been found in great quantities so far due to the small amount of rock that is exposed. It is believed that since the other continents that were once attached to Antarctica to form Gondwana have metallic and nonmetallic minerals, that Antarctica probably has similar minerals. It is also known that rock layers such as those in Antarctica commonly contain large amounts of cobalt, chromium, nickel, vanadium, copper, iron and platinum group minerals.
HYDROTHERMALS: When fluids such as water are heated by the earth's interior, they can carry dissolved minerals in their fluid state such as quartz, gold, etc. When the solution of liquid and dissolved minerals cools in a new environment, the minerals are deposited as a solid. It highly likely there is plenty of these minerals in Antarctica... yet to be confirmed.
http://www.globalclassroom.org/antarct3.html
NOW... what is stopping Japan in 15 years time declaring to the world “We are now sending mining companies down to Antarctica to mine the resources and drill gas from the oil fields".
They are clearly setting a precedent for the worlds countries to harvest Antarctica’s resources.
After all, they have already started. Under current laws and treaties, there is no difference between harvesting whales from Antarctic and drilling for oil. Both are illegal. We know Japan is defying 5 international treaties/conventions and laws and thus far noone has brought her to justice.
SO... if Japan can break these treaties on whaling in Antarctica and get away with it, then what is stopping the Japanese (or any other country) from mining the continent.
Scary thought isn’t it?
Lets wake up a little, step outside the square and look at the consequences of allowing Japan to whale in defiance of all these treaties in Antarctica!
THE SECOND ARGUMENT is based on Japans military historical goals and the economic state of Japan.
There is NOT a decent amount of valuable natural resources within Japan’s borders, yet the Japanese have always wanted one.
The country is a mountainous, volcanic island country. It is known that Japan has inadequate resources to support its growing economy and large population and this was a motivator for her behavior during the Second World War.
Although some resources have indeed been extracted in past times, most mineral resources had to be imported in the post-war era.
The nation’s large and varied forest resources, which covered 70 percent of the country in the late 1980s, were not utilized extensively. Because of the terrain, underdeveloped road network, and high percentage of young trees, domestic sources were only able to supply between 25 and 30 percent of the nation's timber needs.
Agriculture and fishing were the best developed resources, but only through years of painstaking investment and toil. The nation therefore built up the manufacturing and processing industries to convert raw materials imported from abroad.
This strategy of economic development necessitated the establishment of a strong economic infrastructure to provide the needed energy,transportation, communications, and technological know-how as we all know Japan is famous for in todays world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Japan
NOW.... let’s all take a look outside the box. Could Japan have ulterior agendas on whaling off Antarctica?
Antarctica is filled with unlimited resource wealth.
ICE: One of Antarctica's most important resources is ice. It is said that Antarctica's ice accounts for 90% of the worlds fresh water. As a resource it has potential as a fresh water supply.
COAL: There are coal deposits found along the coast of Antarctica. It is also very wide spread throughout the Trans-Antarctic Mountains. Coal is used as a source of direct heat and also to generate electricity in coal burning power plants.
PETROL: Petroleum deposits are formed when plants and small animal remains are buried in a marine environment by sand and mud. These remains then build up as hydrocarbons and are trapped by a layer of rock that the hydrocarbons cannot pass through. Most of the speculation about petroleum in Antarctica comes from finding petroleum on the other Southern continents which were at one time connected together. The petroleum deposits thought to be on the offshore regions of Antarctica would probably be most feasible to obtain.
METALS: Mineral resources have not been found in great quantities so far due to the small amount of rock that is exposed. It is believed that since the other continents that were once attached to Antarctica to form Gondwana have metallic and nonmetallic minerals, that Antarctica probably has similar minerals. It is also known that rock layers such as those in Antarctica commonly contain large amounts of cobalt, chromium, nickel, vanadium, copper, iron and platinum group minerals.
HYDROTHERMALS: When fluids such as water are heated by the earth's interior, they can carry dissolved minerals in their fluid state such as quartz, gold, etc. When the solution of liquid and dissolved minerals cools in a new environment, the minerals are deposited as a solid. It highly likely there is plenty of these minerals in Antarctica... yet to be confirmed.
http://www.globalclassroom.org/antarct3.html
NOW... what is stopping Japan in 15 years time declaring to the world “We are now sending mining companies down to Antarctica to mine the resources and drill gas from the oil fields".
They are clearly setting a precedent for the worlds countries to harvest Antarctica’s resources.
After all, they have already started. Under current laws and treaties, there is no difference between harvesting whales from Antarctic and drilling for oil. Both are illegal. We know Japan is defying 5 international treaties/conventions and laws and thus far noone has brought her to justice.
SO... if Japan can break these treaties on whaling in Antarctica and get away with it, then what is stopping the Japanese (or any other country) from mining the continent.
Scary thought isn’t it?
Lets wake up a little, step outside the square and look at the consequences of allowing Japan to whale in defiance of all these treaties in Antarctica!
IF THERE ARE NO GOOD PRO WHALING ARGUMENTS, THEN WHY WOULD THEY WHALE?
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(10) IF THERE ARE NO GOOD PRO WHALING ARGUMENTS, THEN WHY WOULD THEY WHALE?
The 2 prominent and widely acknowledged arguments are as follows.
FIRST ARGUMENT IS.... Japan is petrified of western countries enforcing fishing quotas on their fishing industry to stop the pillage of the ocean’s fish stocks. Fishing, particularly of stocks such as Bluefin Tuna, is an incredibly lucrative industry for Japan, while the Japanese department of fisheries holds enormous power and political sway over the Japanese state government.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1642343020071001
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5150446.stm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/illegal-fishing-hits-tuna-stocks/2005/10/09/1128796409792.html
If Japan stops whaling at the will of countries like Australia, it then opens up a precedent under international law for the western world to ask Japan to stop overfishing!
Whaling is also a great diversion. While the west kicks up a fuss over the whales, Japan continues to rape and pillage the oceans whales. Some have called it a "smoke & mirrors show".
Their persistence to whale is an assertion of their sovereign control over their right to fish and plunder the world’s common resources.... in other words, a message to the world saying "Get off our backs, we will do what we like!”
(10) IF THERE ARE NO GOOD PRO WHALING ARGUMENTS, THEN WHY WOULD THEY WHALE?
The 2 prominent and widely acknowledged arguments are as follows.
FIRST ARGUMENT IS.... Japan is petrified of western countries enforcing fishing quotas on their fishing industry to stop the pillage of the ocean’s fish stocks. Fishing, particularly of stocks such as Bluefin Tuna, is an incredibly lucrative industry for Japan, while the Japanese department of fisheries holds enormous power and political sway over the Japanese state government.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL1642343020071001
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5150446.stm
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/illegal-fishing-hits-tuna-stocks/2005/10/09/1128796409792.html
If Japan stops whaling at the will of countries like Australia, it then opens up a precedent under international law for the western world to ask Japan to stop overfishing!
Whaling is also a great diversion. While the west kicks up a fuss over the whales, Japan continues to rape and pillage the oceans whales. Some have called it a "smoke & mirrors show".
Their persistence to whale is an assertion of their sovereign control over their right to fish and plunder the world’s common resources.... in other words, a message to the world saying "Get off our backs, we will do what we like!”
WHALES EAT UP TO 1 Tonne OF FISH PER DAY. WHY SHOULDN’T WE KILL THEM?
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(9) WHALES EAT UP TO 1 Tonne OF FISH PER DAY. WHY SHOULDN’T WE KILL THEM?
This is just the stupidest argument I have ever heard. Really, one would think the answer is common-sense, but apparently it isn’t. The argument has been put forward countless of times by both Japanese government officials and pro-whalers from around the world.
Yes, whales eat up to 1 ton of fish per day, however seafood - per capita consumption in Japan is some 80 kilograms, among the highest in the world. The Japanese are relentless in their fishing, showing little regard for the world as they continue to break many international treaties.
To argue whales are depleting the world’s fish resources is idiotic and deviant on the entire issue. The only reason the Japanese throw this argument out there is to deflect attention from their fishing industries.
It is a blatant facade.
It’s about Japan being petrified of the western world enforcing fishing quotas on their fishing industry (or worse, documenting their catches) to stop the pillage of the oceans fish stocks.
The United Nations estimates Japan eats 30 per cent of the world's fresh fish, about 80 kilograms a year for every man, woman and child, compared to just 18 kilograms in Australia.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/japan/something-fishy-at-dawn/2008/01/24/1201025079076.html?page=2
They have effectively turned whales into scapegoats on the whole issue in order to delay the inevitable world forum on their fishing practises.
They want to avoid topics such as Blue fin tuna at all costs. The whaling industry is nothing but symbolic of this resistance by Japan. Some have called it a "smoke & mirrors show".
Japans highly decentralized government accords significant power to the ministry of fishing, which in turn has the power to greatly influence national policy. It is here, they have decided; maintaining sovereign control over their fishing industry is of vital importance and the number 1 goal of “future Japan”. The lies are created and the propaganda is fed to their own population.
They have their backs to the wall and they will use every card trick up their sleeves to get out of Jail.
Their best trick is to claim:
Anyone who interferes with Japanese research whaling is a racist and an enemy of science!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/illegal-fishing-hits-tuna-stocks/2005/10/09/1128796409792.html
The world isn’t stupid. It is clear and widely known Japan has a massive fishing industry that has done damage to many different parts of the world’s oceans. One, only needs to use commonsense, to answer this argument.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EF28Dh03.html
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(9) WHALES EAT UP TO 1 Tonne OF FISH PER DAY. WHY SHOULDN’T WE KILL THEM?
This is just the stupidest argument I have ever heard. Really, one would think the answer is common-sense, but apparently it isn’t. The argument has been put forward countless of times by both Japanese government officials and pro-whalers from around the world.
Yes, whales eat up to 1 ton of fish per day, however seafood - per capita consumption in Japan is some 80 kilograms, among the highest in the world. The Japanese are relentless in their fishing, showing little regard for the world as they continue to break many international treaties.
To argue whales are depleting the world’s fish resources is idiotic and deviant on the entire issue. The only reason the Japanese throw this argument out there is to deflect attention from their fishing industries.
It is a blatant facade.
It’s about Japan being petrified of the western world enforcing fishing quotas on their fishing industry (or worse, documenting their catches) to stop the pillage of the oceans fish stocks.
The United Nations estimates Japan eats 30 per cent of the world's fresh fish, about 80 kilograms a year for every man, woman and child, compared to just 18 kilograms in Australia.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/japan/something-fishy-at-dawn/2008/01/24/1201025079076.html?page=2
They have effectively turned whales into scapegoats on the whole issue in order to delay the inevitable world forum on their fishing practises.
They want to avoid topics such as Blue fin tuna at all costs. The whaling industry is nothing but symbolic of this resistance by Japan. Some have called it a "smoke & mirrors show".
Japans highly decentralized government accords significant power to the ministry of fishing, which in turn has the power to greatly influence national policy. It is here, they have decided; maintaining sovereign control over their fishing industry is of vital importance and the number 1 goal of “future Japan”. The lies are created and the propaganda is fed to their own population.
They have their backs to the wall and they will use every card trick up their sleeves to get out of Jail.
Their best trick is to claim:
Anyone who interferes with Japanese research whaling is a racist and an enemy of science!
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/illegal-fishing-hits-tuna-stocks/2005/10/09/1128796409792.html
The world isn’t stupid. It is clear and widely known Japan has a massive fishing industry that has done damage to many different parts of the world’s oceans. One, only needs to use commonsense, to answer this argument.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Japan/EF28Dh03.html
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WHALING IS A PROFITIBLE INDUSTRY IN JAPAN. ARE YOU OUT TO CRASH THIS INDUSTRY?
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(Cool WHALING IS A PROFITIBLE INDUSTRY IN JAPAN. ARE YOU OUT TO CRASH THIS INDUSTRY?
Whaling is hardly a profitable industry. Japan has close to 4,000 tons of whale meat from its 'scientific' whaling programme in cold storage - uneaten, unsold, and unwanted.
http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/news/fearing-us-reaction-japanese
It is estimated in late October 2006. Japan's whaling industry is worth about 6 million dollars, Iceland's is about 20 million dollars, and Norway's is 75 million dollars as more people consume the meat in the latter countries than they do in Japan. The Japanese government gives the fisheries department $10 US million dollars a year to subsidise the whale industry.
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:5kMIG1Hm6GUJ:www.abc.net.au/tv/btn/stories/s1776750.htm+japan%27s+whaling+industry+worth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=17&gl=au
Because of the bursting whale-meat inventories, Japan is trying to introduce surpluses to school children under School lunchtime programs. Many of these children don’t like the taste and would prefer their contemporary sushi rolls.
http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=68591023407
What is a profitable industry is the Whale watching industry.
Whale watching is primarily a commercial activity estimated to be worth up to US $1billion per annum worldwide to whale watching operations and their local communities.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E1DE1030F93AA3575AC0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
In Australia alone, the whale watching businesses draw over 1.5million people annually, pumping an estimated $225 US million dollars into the Australian Economy.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Japan_whalers_off_to_hunt_humpbacks_expedition_chief_999.html
The whale watching industry argue that whaling kills "friendly" whales that are curious about boats, as these whales are the easiest to catch. This analysis claims that once the economic benefits of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities are considered, hunting whales is a net economic loss.
The facts and figures make it clear, whale watching is a growing billion-dollar industry that provides more revenue and more equitable distribution of profits than commercial whaling.
Peru, Uruguay, Australia, and New Zealand also support proposals to permanently forbid whaling south of the Equator, as Indonesia is the only country in the Southern Hemisphere with a whaling industry.
http://www.ecozine.co.uk/Whaling1.htm
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(Cool WHALING IS A PROFITIBLE INDUSTRY IN JAPAN. ARE YOU OUT TO CRASH THIS INDUSTRY?
Whaling is hardly a profitable industry. Japan has close to 4,000 tons of whale meat from its 'scientific' whaling programme in cold storage - uneaten, unsold, and unwanted.
http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/news/fearing-us-reaction-japanese
It is estimated in late October 2006. Japan's whaling industry is worth about 6 million dollars, Iceland's is about 20 million dollars, and Norway's is 75 million dollars as more people consume the meat in the latter countries than they do in Japan. The Japanese government gives the fisheries department $10 US million dollars a year to subsidise the whale industry.
http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:5kMIG1Hm6GUJ:www.abc.net.au/tv/btn/stories/s1776750.htm+japan%27s+whaling+industry+worth&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=17&gl=au
Because of the bursting whale-meat inventories, Japan is trying to introduce surpluses to school children under School lunchtime programs. Many of these children don’t like the taste and would prefer their contemporary sushi rolls.
http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=68591023407
What is a profitable industry is the Whale watching industry.
Whale watching is primarily a commercial activity estimated to be worth up to US $1billion per annum worldwide to whale watching operations and their local communities.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E1DE1030F93AA3575AC0A9679C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
In Australia alone, the whale watching businesses draw over 1.5million people annually, pumping an estimated $225 US million dollars into the Australian Economy.
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Japan_whalers_off_to_hunt_humpbacks_expedition_chief_999.html
The whale watching industry argue that whaling kills "friendly" whales that are curious about boats, as these whales are the easiest to catch. This analysis claims that once the economic benefits of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities are considered, hunting whales is a net economic loss.
The facts and figures make it clear, whale watching is a growing billion-dollar industry that provides more revenue and more equitable distribution of profits than commercial whaling.
Peru, Uruguay, Australia, and New Zealand also support proposals to permanently forbid whaling south of the Equator, as Indonesia is the only country in the Southern Hemisphere with a whaling industry.
http://www.ecozine.co.uk/Whaling1.htm
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JAPAN CLAIMS THE WHALES ARE KILLED HUMANELY AND QUICKLY. ARE THEY NOT?
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(7) JAPAN CLAIMS THE WHALES ARE KILLED HUMANELY AND QUICKLY. ARE THEY NOT?
Experience has shown that it is very difficult to kill a whale at sea humanely; that is, by causing minimum pain or instantaneous death.
Whales are killed at sea, using explosive harpoons, which puncture the skin of a whale and then explode inside its body. For the smaller Minke whales, it is true some experience deaths within 5minutes, but this is rare and often pure luck. Unfortunately, this is not the case for ALL whales though. Pending their size, it can take up to 1 hr for the animal to finally succumb to death.
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/whaling/
It has been documented that of all whales hunted by the Japanese in Antarctica, 60 percent of them do not die instantaneously.
After the whale is pulled towards the vessel it is secured. If it is still alive, it will need to be harpooned again or shot with a high powered rifle to kill it.
It may take more than one hour to die, in what appears to be extreme pain.
Harpooned whales may escape capture, because the harpoon failed to stick, pulled out, or because the line broke. These whales may suffer over several hours or days, before dying of their injuries.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/MultipageDocumentPage.aspx?id=43890
In March 2003, Whalewatch, an umbrella group of 140 conservation and animal welfare groups from 55 countries published a report, "Troubled Waters", whose main conclusion was that whales cannot be guaranteed to be killed humanely and that all whaling should be stopped. They quoted figures that said 20% of Norwegian and 60% of Japanese-killed whales failed to die as soon as they had been harpooned.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling#Method_of_killing
Please watch this video of the recent Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. The footage was shot by the Australian Customs chartered ship Oceanic Viking.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080207-whaling-video-ap.html
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(7) JAPAN CLAIMS THE WHALES ARE KILLED HUMANELY AND QUICKLY. ARE THEY NOT?
Experience has shown that it is very difficult to kill a whale at sea humanely; that is, by causing minimum pain or instantaneous death.
Whales are killed at sea, using explosive harpoons, which puncture the skin of a whale and then explode inside its body. For the smaller Minke whales, it is true some experience deaths within 5minutes, but this is rare and often pure luck. Unfortunately, this is not the case for ALL whales though. Pending their size, it can take up to 1 hr for the animal to finally succumb to death.
http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/whaling/
It has been documented that of all whales hunted by the Japanese in Antarctica, 60 percent of them do not die instantaneously.
After the whale is pulled towards the vessel it is secured. If it is still alive, it will need to be harpooned again or shot with a high powered rifle to kill it.
It may take more than one hour to die, in what appears to be extreme pain.
Harpooned whales may escape capture, because the harpoon failed to stick, pulled out, or because the line broke. These whales may suffer over several hours or days, before dying of their injuries.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/MultipageDocumentPage.aspx?id=43890
In March 2003, Whalewatch, an umbrella group of 140 conservation and animal welfare groups from 55 countries published a report, "Troubled Waters", whose main conclusion was that whales cannot be guaranteed to be killed humanely and that all whaling should be stopped. They quoted figures that said 20% of Norwegian and 60% of Japanese-killed whales failed to die as soon as they had been harpooned.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling#Method_of_killing
Please watch this video of the recent Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. The footage was shot by the Australian Customs chartered ship Oceanic Viking.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080207-whaling-video-ap.html
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IT’S NOT JUST THE MEAT. THE JAPANESE ALSO OBTAIN VALUABLE OIL FROM THE WHALES.
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(6) IT’S NOT JUST THE MEAT. THE JAPANESE ALSO OBTAIN VALUABLE OIL FROM THE WHALES.
Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of Right Whale and the Bowhead Whale (None of which are on Japan’s hunt list in the Southern Ocean) prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale (like the Minke whale which Japan does hunt).
The first principal use of whale oil was as an illuminant in lamps and as candle wax. Whale oil later came to be used in oiling wools for combing and other uses. It was the first of any animal or mineral oil to achieve commercial viability. It was also used to heal soldiers' wounds in war.
However, with the 1986 International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling, whale oil has all but ceased to be viable, as substitutes have been found for all of the original uses of whale oil, most notably jojoba oil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_oil
Today almost any whale product may be replaced by an equivalent which does not involve killing animals. In previous centuries there was much less choice, and whale products were highly valued for their oil.
It is indeed true, the oil of the sperm whale is the essential ingredient needed to make a uranium bomb. No synthetic oil can do the job. However, (A) sperm whales aren’t being hunted and (B) Who needs Nuclear weapons? The Japanese should be the first to say no to Nuclear weapons.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/nukes_diffs.htm
Clearly, there is no longer a need for whale products like there was up until the 20th century.
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(6) IT’S NOT JUST THE MEAT. THE JAPANESE ALSO OBTAIN VALUABLE OIL FROM THE WHALES.
Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of Right Whale and the Bowhead Whale (None of which are on Japan’s hunt list in the Southern Ocean) prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale (like the Minke whale which Japan does hunt).
The first principal use of whale oil was as an illuminant in lamps and as candle wax. Whale oil later came to be used in oiling wools for combing and other uses. It was the first of any animal or mineral oil to achieve commercial viability. It was also used to heal soldiers' wounds in war.
However, with the 1986 International Whaling Commission (IWC) moratorium on commercial whaling, whale oil has all but ceased to be viable, as substitutes have been found for all of the original uses of whale oil, most notably jojoba oil.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_oil
Today almost any whale product may be replaced by an equivalent which does not involve killing animals. In previous centuries there was much less choice, and whale products were highly valued for their oil.
It is indeed true, the oil of the sperm whale is the essential ingredient needed to make a uranium bomb. No synthetic oil can do the job. However, (A) sperm whales aren’t being hunted and (B) Who needs Nuclear weapons? The Japanese should be the first to say no to Nuclear weapons.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/nukes_diffs.htm
Clearly, there is no longer a need for whale products like there was up until the 20th century.
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HOW CAN IT BE “ILLEGAL”, JAPAN DOESNT RECOGNISE AUSTRALIA’S ANTARCTIC CLAIM?
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(5) HOW CAN IT BE “ILLEGAL”, JAPAN DOESNT RECOGNISE AUSTRALIA’S ANTARCTIC CLAIM?
Australia has indeed laid perfectly valid Antarctic claims on the area in question. The treaty was open for signatures in 1959, so the claims are not “NEW” and were around way before Japan started whaling in the Southern Ocean. Australia’s claims are justified by the Australian & British explorers who mapped the Antarctic ice shelf in the early 1900’s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Antarctic_Territory
Japan would be indulging in hypocrisy to not recognise these claims. Japan has its own disputes with South Korea over the Liancourt Rocks (a small cluster of islands between Japan & Sth Korea), yet Japan heavily defends these islands using their coastguard and Navy.
Put all that aside, Japan is still breaking 5 INTERNATIONAL treaties by whaling in the Southern Ocean.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) hired 3 international panels of independent legal experts who all ruled Japan to be in breach of the following International treaties and laws;
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
- United Nations Charter on Nature,
- The Antarctic Treaty System,
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) and
- The International Convention on the Regulation of
Whaling
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=223096
http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/prnewswire/20071114/14nov20071142.html
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(5) HOW CAN IT BE “ILLEGAL”, JAPAN DOESNT RECOGNISE AUSTRALIA’S ANTARCTIC CLAIM?
Australia has indeed laid perfectly valid Antarctic claims on the area in question. The treaty was open for signatures in 1959, so the claims are not “NEW” and were around way before Japan started whaling in the Southern Ocean. Australia’s claims are justified by the Australian & British explorers who mapped the Antarctic ice shelf in the early 1900’s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Antarctic_Territory
Japan would be indulging in hypocrisy to not recognise these claims. Japan has its own disputes with South Korea over the Liancourt Rocks (a small cluster of islands between Japan & Sth Korea), yet Japan heavily defends these islands using their coastguard and Navy.
Put all that aside, Japan is still breaking 5 INTERNATIONAL treaties by whaling in the Southern Ocean.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) hired 3 international panels of independent legal experts who all ruled Japan to be in breach of the following International treaties and laws;
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
- United Nations Charter on Nature,
- The Antarctic Treaty System,
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES) and
- The International Convention on the Regulation of
Whaling
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=223096
http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/prnewswire/20071114/14nov20071142.html
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WHY IS IT WRONG THAT THE JAPANESE HUNT WHALES FOR CULTURAL REASONS?
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(4) WHY IS IT WRONG THAT THE JAPANESE HUNT WHALES FOR CULTURAL REASONS?
Japan does indeed have a long history of whaling. The oldest records date back to the eighth century when Emperor Jimmu was fed whale meat and the villages used whale oil in their lanterns. The numbers of whales killed is disputed, however all sources agree it was no more than 10 whales a year per major coastal town. Food was scarce and the oil provided a valuable means for lighting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/world/asia/14whaling.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&oref=slogin
However, It was a long time later, after World War 2 when whale meat became a large part of the majority populations diet. Again, food was extremely scarce and the people were poor. Whale meat was a cheap source of protein and it was critical to harvest it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_Japan
Japans whale consumption peaked in 1962 when 226, 000 tons were harvested. In 1985 (a year before the global ban on whaling), Japan only harvested 15, 000 tons as many Japanese citizens were beginning to shun whale meat for better food options.
While Japan does have a “history” of whaling dating back many centuries, the initial “cultural” need is no longer there. Japan is one of the world’s riches, powerful and technologically advanced nations around today. No longer is there that critical need to obtain whale oil to light their night lamps and lanterns. No longer are Japanese citizens starving to death because of food shortages like there was after World War 2.
Japan cannot be allowed to claim “Cultural” reasons, when less than 1% of the population eat whale meat and when they are hunting these remarkable creatures thousands of miles from their coastal villages where the initial whaling took place.
http://climateofourfuture.org/fearing-us-reaction-japanese-whaling-fleet-hides-in-port/
Japan has close to 4,000 tons of whale meat from its “scientific” whaling program in cold storage - uneaten, unsold, and unwanted ~ !!!
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(4) WHY IS IT WRONG THAT THE JAPANESE HUNT WHALES FOR CULTURAL REASONS?
Japan does indeed have a long history of whaling. The oldest records date back to the eighth century when Emperor Jimmu was fed whale meat and the villages used whale oil in their lanterns. The numbers of whales killed is disputed, however all sources agree it was no more than 10 whales a year per major coastal town. Food was scarce and the oil provided a valuable means for lighting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/14/world/asia/14whaling.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&oref=slogin
However, It was a long time later, after World War 2 when whale meat became a large part of the majority populations diet. Again, food was extremely scarce and the people were poor. Whale meat was a cheap source of protein and it was critical to harvest it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_Japan
Japans whale consumption peaked in 1962 when 226, 000 tons were harvested. In 1985 (a year before the global ban on whaling), Japan only harvested 15, 000 tons as many Japanese citizens were beginning to shun whale meat for better food options.
While Japan does have a “history” of whaling dating back many centuries, the initial “cultural” need is no longer there. Japan is one of the world’s riches, powerful and technologically advanced nations around today. No longer is there that critical need to obtain whale oil to light their night lamps and lanterns. No longer are Japanese citizens starving to death because of food shortages like there was after World War 2.
Japan cannot be allowed to claim “Cultural” reasons, when less than 1% of the population eat whale meat and when they are hunting these remarkable creatures thousands of miles from their coastal villages where the initial whaling took place.
http://climateofourfuture.org/fearing-us-reaction-japanese-whaling-fleet-hides-in-port/
Japan has close to 4,000 tons of whale meat from its “scientific” whaling program in cold storage - uneaten, unsold, and unwanted ~ !!!
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WHY DO YOU CARE, THE ICW ALLOWS THEM TO HUNT FOR SCIENTIFIC REASONS ?
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(3) WHY DO YOU CARE, THE ICW ALLOWS THEM TO HUNT FOR SCIENTIFIC REASONS ?
This is indeed true of the IWC. There is a loophole in the moratorium on whaling which allows whales to be hunted for scientific reasons and Japan uses it to kill over 1000 whales a year.
Are you aware that Japan is killing whales to prove they can kill more? Their so called “scientific research” revolves around them trying to determine exact numbers of whales so they can prove to the world they can sustainably begin commercial whaling. It is no secret. They openly admit this is why they are killing them.
The big secret is what the Australian Broadcasting Corporation uncovered in 2006 with their Science show “Catalyst”. They discovered of the 18year JARPA 1 program, which lethally obtained samples from over 6800 whales, less than 55 peer reviewed papers were produced, 14 that could be relevant to goals of the JARPA program and ONLY 4 that would require lethal sampling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling#Value_for_research
Its obvious Japan isn’t scientifically whaling. Besides, any scientist will tell you live specimens are much more fun and informative to study. What can you learn from a dead whale other than looking into its ear to determine its age?
We need to keep them alive so we can monitor what happens in the ocean.
Top-of-the-food-web pecies are crucial bio-indicators. Their presence is an indicator of a healthy eco-system, while their absence could indicate a serious pollution or other environmental problem eg a chronically overfished ocean.
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(3) WHY DO YOU CARE, THE ICW ALLOWS THEM TO HUNT FOR SCIENTIFIC REASONS ?
This is indeed true of the IWC. There is a loophole in the moratorium on whaling which allows whales to be hunted for scientific reasons and Japan uses it to kill over 1000 whales a year.
Are you aware that Japan is killing whales to prove they can kill more? Their so called “scientific research” revolves around them trying to determine exact numbers of whales so they can prove to the world they can sustainably begin commercial whaling. It is no secret. They openly admit this is why they are killing them.
The big secret is what the Australian Broadcasting Corporation uncovered in 2006 with their Science show “Catalyst”. They discovered of the 18year JARPA 1 program, which lethally obtained samples from over 6800 whales, less than 55 peer reviewed papers were produced, 14 that could be relevant to goals of the JARPA program and ONLY 4 that would require lethal sampling.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling#Value_for_research
Its obvious Japan isn’t scientifically whaling. Besides, any scientist will tell you live specimens are much more fun and informative to study. What can you learn from a dead whale other than looking into its ear to determine its age?
We need to keep them alive so we can monitor what happens in the ocean.
Top-of-the-food-web pecies are crucial bio-indicators. Their presence is an indicator of a healthy eco-system, while their absence could indicate a serious pollution or other environmental problem eg a chronically overfished ocean.
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BUT YOU EAT COWS, THEY EAT WHALES.... WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE ?
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(2) BUT YOU EAT COWS, THEY EAT WHALES.... WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE ?
Hunting whales for a food source goes against all logic. Whale meat is laden with extremely dangerous metals that break down the human central nervous system in a matter of years. Mercury, Methyl Mercury, Cadmium, DDT & PCB’s are some of these.
In effect, Japan is poisoning its own citizens. What is deeply concerning is the
fact; they are trying to introduce the whale meat into schools under “School lunchtime programs”.
Furthermore whales cannot be farmed like Cattle can be. Females give birth to a single calf. Nursing time is long (more than one year in many species), which is associated with a strong bond between mother and young. In most whales, reproductive maturity occurs late, typically at seven to ten years of age.
This is in stark contrast to Cattle, Sheep or Pigs that mature much quicker and breed far more often which enables us (humans) to sustain their populations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale#Behavior
Clearly there is NO such thing as “sustainable whaling” when looking at these figures like you can do with cattle, sheep or pigs.
The world learnt this when previous whaling saw whale populations decline by up to 90%, hence the moratorium on whaling which came into effect in 1986.
Harvesting only 1000 whales a year would be the equivalent to wiping Germany off the map each year. It can't be allowed.
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(2) BUT YOU EAT COWS, THEY EAT WHALES.... WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE ?
Hunting whales for a food source goes against all logic. Whale meat is laden with extremely dangerous metals that break down the human central nervous system in a matter of years. Mercury, Methyl Mercury, Cadmium, DDT & PCB’s are some of these.
In effect, Japan is poisoning its own citizens. What is deeply concerning is the
fact; they are trying to introduce the whale meat into schools under “School lunchtime programs”.
Furthermore whales cannot be farmed like Cattle can be. Females give birth to a single calf. Nursing time is long (more than one year in many species), which is associated with a strong bond between mother and young. In most whales, reproductive maturity occurs late, typically at seven to ten years of age.
This is in stark contrast to Cattle, Sheep or Pigs that mature much quicker and breed far more often which enables us (humans) to sustain their populations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale#Behavior
Clearly there is NO such thing as “sustainable whaling” when looking at these figures like you can do with cattle, sheep or pigs.
The world learnt this when previous whaling saw whale populations decline by up to 90%, hence the moratorium on whaling which came into effect in 1986.
Harvesting only 1000 whales a year would be the equivalent to wiping Germany off the map each year. It can't be allowed.
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THE JAPANESE ARE HUNTING WHALES FOR A FOOD SOURCE, WHY IS THIS NOT OK?
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(1) THE JAPANESE ARE HUNTING WHALES FOR A FOOD SOURCE, WHY IS THIS NOT OK?
Hunting whales for a food source goes against all logic. Whale meat is laden with extremely dangerous metals that break down the human central nervous system in a matter of years. Mercury, Methyl Mercury, Cadmium, DDT & PCB’s are some of these.
In effect, Japan is poisoning its own citizens. What is deeply concerning is the fact; they are trying to introduce the whale meat into schools under “School lunchtime programs”.
According to Japan’s own media, the Japan Today Newspaper poll showed less than 1% of Japanese eat whale meat. There is no demand for it outside Japanese coastal towns. It is widely known that over 4000tonnes of whale meat is in frozen storage. Much of it ends up as dog food.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23024633-5000117,00.html
Whales are also “endangered” mammals that happen to be at the top of the food chain. Anyone with simple biology knowledge knows top of the food chain animals have an important role to play in this world. We need to keep them alive so we can monitor what happens in the ocean.
Top-of-the-food-web species are crucial bio-indicators. Their presence is an indicator of a healthy eco-system, while their absence could indicate a serious pollution or other environmental problem eg a chronically overfished ocean.
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(1) THE JAPANESE ARE HUNTING WHALES FOR A FOOD SOURCE, WHY IS THIS NOT OK?
Hunting whales for a food source goes against all logic. Whale meat is laden with extremely dangerous metals that break down the human central nervous system in a matter of years. Mercury, Methyl Mercury, Cadmium, DDT & PCB’s are some of these.
In effect, Japan is poisoning its own citizens. What is deeply concerning is the fact; they are trying to introduce the whale meat into schools under “School lunchtime programs”.
According to Japan’s own media, the Japan Today Newspaper poll showed less than 1% of Japanese eat whale meat. There is no demand for it outside Japanese coastal towns. It is widely known that over 4000tonnes of whale meat is in frozen storage. Much of it ends up as dog food.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23024633-5000117,00.html
Whales are also “endangered” mammals that happen to be at the top of the food chain. Anyone with simple biology knowledge knows top of the food chain animals have an important role to play in this world. We need to keep them alive so we can monitor what happens in the ocean.
Top-of-the-food-web species are crucial bio-indicators. Their presence is an indicator of a healthy eco-system, while their absence could indicate a serious pollution or other environmental problem eg a chronically overfished ocean.
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Intro to FAQ
Over the past few months, we have been getting the same questions every week from Pro-whalers, People sitting on the fence and from trolls.
To save the hassle of constantly re-writing answers you will find below a blog of these questions.
You will find many of the answers overlap answers to other questions. Some of you will also notice, I have stolen your posts and links that you have previously mentioned.
I’ve tried to keep the answers succinct and to the point as much as possible, however some answers need more to them and others have blown out.
Please feel free to add any other question/answers of your own.
Hopefully there will be a time when we can just say “Click this link and read point (5) and you will get your response”.
Below you will find a mini index for quick browsing.
(1) THE JAPANESE ARE HUNTING WHALES FOR A FOOD SOURCE, WHY IS THIS NOT OK?
(2) BUT YOU EAT COWS, THEY EAT WHALES.... WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
(3) WHY DO YOU CARE...? THE ICW ALLOWS THEM TO HUNT FOR SCIENTIFIC REASONS.
(4) WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE JAPANESE HUNTING WHALES FOR CULTURAL REASONS?
(5) HOW CAN IT BE “ILLEGAL”, JAPAN DOESNT RECOGNISE AUSTRALIA’S ANTARCTIC CLAIM?
(6) IT’S NOT JUST THE MEAT. THE JAPANESE ALSO OBTAIN VALUABLE OIL FROM THE WHALES.
(7) JAPAN CLAIMS THE WHALES ARE KILLED HUMANELY AND QUICKLY. ARE THEY NOT?
(Cool WHALING IS A PROFITIBLE INDUSTRY IN JAPAN. ARE YOU OUT TO CRASH THIS INDUSTRY?
(9) WHALES EAT UP TO 1 Tonne OF FISH PER DAY. SHOULDNT WE KILL THEM?
(10) IF THERE IS NO GOOD PRO WHALING ARGUMENTS, THEN WHY WOULD THEY WHALE?
To save the hassle of constantly re-writing answers you will find below a blog of these questions.
You will find many of the answers overlap answers to other questions. Some of you will also notice, I have stolen your posts and links that you have previously mentioned.
I’ve tried to keep the answers succinct and to the point as much as possible, however some answers need more to them and others have blown out.
Please feel free to add any other question/answers of your own.
Hopefully there will be a time when we can just say “Click this link and read point (5) and you will get your response”.
Below you will find a mini index for quick browsing.
(1) THE JAPANESE ARE HUNTING WHALES FOR A FOOD SOURCE, WHY IS THIS NOT OK?
(2) BUT YOU EAT COWS, THEY EAT WHALES.... WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
(3) WHY DO YOU CARE...? THE ICW ALLOWS THEM TO HUNT FOR SCIENTIFIC REASONS.
(4) WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE JAPANESE HUNTING WHALES FOR CULTURAL REASONS?
(5) HOW CAN IT BE “ILLEGAL”, JAPAN DOESNT RECOGNISE AUSTRALIA’S ANTARCTIC CLAIM?
(6) IT’S NOT JUST THE MEAT. THE JAPANESE ALSO OBTAIN VALUABLE OIL FROM THE WHALES.
(7) JAPAN CLAIMS THE WHALES ARE KILLED HUMANELY AND QUICKLY. ARE THEY NOT?
(Cool WHALING IS A PROFITIBLE INDUSTRY IN JAPAN. ARE YOU OUT TO CRASH THIS INDUSTRY?
(9) WHALES EAT UP TO 1 Tonne OF FISH PER DAY. SHOULDNT WE KILL THEM?
(10) IF THERE IS NO GOOD PRO WHALING ARGUMENTS, THEN WHY WOULD THEY WHALE?
Group infomation
This group is solely aimed at the ICR & Japanese Government and not at Japanese Citizens. It is a forum for people of our world to share their concerns about Japanese whaling.
We hope it will help exert regional pressure on Japan to cease its illegal whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Please don’t join to turn it into a racial battleground.
Japan is singled out as it is the only country to have breached the:
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
- United Nations Charter on Nature,
- The Antarctic Treaty System,
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and
- The International Convention on the Regulation of
Whaling
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/default.aspx?oid=223096
Japan is also the ONLY country doing it under pathetic lies of "Scientific Research".
Lastly, These waters are within the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone. The Australian Federal Court ruled on January 15 2008 that the Japanese whaling is illegal and should be stopped.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23056156-2,00.html
Admin.
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OUR WHALES ARE DYING....
Japan inhumanely uses grenade tipped harpoons to kill more than 1,000 whales a year in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary near Antarctica using a loophole in the international moratorium for a ban on whaling that allows catching whales for so called "research" purposes.
This year Japan is planning on expanding the catch to include 50 humpback whales, which are considered "endangered" in some regions of the world. The Japanese expedition also plans to kill 50 endangered fin whales - the world's second largest animal & oldest living Mammal - as well as 935 smaller minke whales.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-watch/outrage-as-whaling-fleet-heads-for-antarctic/2007/11/18/1195321608560.html
Don’t buy the argument that Japan’s motivation to continue whaling is about maintaining their culture or conducting scientific research as they claim….
Whales once provided the Japanese with a cheap source of protein & the oil was used to light night lanterns. Consumption actually peaked just after world war 2 when the Americans suggested Japan take up commercial whaling to feed its citizens - Food was scarce & the population was starving. Whaling was a temporary fix.
No longer is there a critical need to kill whales due to food shortages & Japan, being one of the most advanced nations on Earth, no longer needs the oil to light their night lanterns that they had done centuries ago. Traditional Japanese whaling was only ever very minor coastal whaling.
Furthermore, whale meat is hardly a popular food in Japan. Roughly, only 1% of the population has ever tried it and even fewer regularly eat it (Japan Today Newspaper). They tried to introduce the meat to children via a 'School lunchtime program'. The kids emphatically made it clear, they did not like the taste of it & prefer not to eat it.
Running boats into the Southern ocean each year is costly and inefficient work for the Japanese for little financial gain. It is estimated the whalers are now $50M in debt & would be bankrupt if the Japanese government didnt fund them.
In 2007, Japan had over 4, 000 tons of whale meat in frozen storage, uneaten, unsold and UNWANTED!
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/whaling/whaling_myths
As for the science argument, scientists globally have affirmed over and over again that any research could be, and in fact is, conducted without actually hacking these remarkable creatures to death in our oceans….
WHERE IS THE SCIENCE..... ???
The big secret is what the Australian Broadcasting Corporation uncovered in 2006 with their Science show “Catalyst”. They discovered of the 18year JARPA 1 program, which lethally obtained samples from over 6800 whales, less than 55 peer reviewed papers were produced, 14 that could be relevant to goals of the JARPA program and ONLY 4 that would require lethal sampling.
Watch the Catalyst video here uncover Japan's SHAM whale 'scientific research' program....
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s1657789.htm
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=7251222651&topic=5175
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GRISLY WHALING VIDEO FROM AUS CUSTOMS 2008 .
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080207-whaling-video-ap.html
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WHERE WE HAVE GONE WRONG
The IWC, the body charged with governing whaling internationally, is a mess & needs an urgent Overhaul. It allocates equal voting power to all members, with decisions made on a three-quarters majority vote.
This ‘democratic’ nature of the Commission however has allowed Japan to buy the votes of weaker developing countries with aid packages and other financial incentives.
Even land locked developing countries such as Mongolia are joining the IWC & voting alongside Japan in favour of whaling. Japan has almost bought out enough votes in this way to overturn the Moratorium on Whaling, which would allow it to again conduct commercial whaling that once culled 90% of all whales!
http://www.iwcoffice.org/commission/iwcmain.htm
Clearly we need to think outside the IWC to put a stop to this tragic and archaic practice.
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PETITIONS TO SIGN!
By far the most popular Anti Whaling Petition Internationally (with a staggering 840,000 signatures from over 239 countries) is the Whales Revenge petition.
http://www.whalesrevenge.com/
One of the most popular in Australia (over 60,000 ppl have signed) is the Greenpeace endorsed joint Daily Telegraph/Today petition:
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22874082-5014144,00.html
Another good one especially for our New Zealand members (over 10,300 signatures) is the Dominion Post Anti Whaling Petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/online/15815.html
Due to the larger number of British Citizens joining this group the following petition would be good to sign. (it is new and only has 180 signatures so needs the support)
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/HaltWhaling/
IFAW's (International Fund for Animal Welfare) Anti- Whaling site and Petition
http://www.stopwhaling.com.au
The International Whale Protection Organisation has just started a new petition. Please support it.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/IWPO-memberlist-petition
All 6 petitions will be forwarded onto Japanese government officials. Have your say in stopping these illegal whaling incursions into Australian & New Zealand territorial waters.
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ANNUAL DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER
Each year tens-of-thousands of dolphins & pilot whales are massacred across Southern Japan in brutal slayings.
Be warned the following video is extremely graphic with Dolphins being dragged behind trucks and others being hacked open whilst still alive.
View this disgusting Dolphin slaughter video here....
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=8749719492&oid=7251222651
Please sign the below petition. It has a massive 1, 178, 397 signatures and was created by Pedro Oliveira.
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/golfinho/petition.html
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SEA SHEPHERD CONSERVATION SOCIETY
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is directly involved in stopping the killing of whales. FACT: When their two ships are present; 'Farley Mowat' & 'Steve Irwin', No whales Die!
In the most recent season, The Japanese set a quota for over 1000 whales. Thanks to the direct intervention of the Sea Shepherd Crew, the Japanese fell way short barely killing 500 whales.
These guys are taking huge steps to prevent the slaughter of whales. The crew are unpaid volunteers from around the world and they often put their own lives on the line to protect marine wildlife from illegal poaching.
Please visit their website to read more & get updates on the whaling fleet.
http://www.seashepherd.org/
SEA SHEPHERD FORUM
http://www.seashepherd.com.au/forum/
WANT TO HELP the most effective anti-whaling organisation on the planet?
Please click this link and read some more....
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=6586&uid=7251222651
DONATE TO SEA SHEPHERD
To make a donation to the most effective Anti-Whaling organisation in the world please click the following link.
http://www.seashepherd.org/donate.html
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GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL
Greenpeace are involved in whaling via their awareness programs. Every year they send their ship 'Esperanza' south to document the cruel slaughter & then broadcast the images to the world.
They also have members on the ground in Japan who are trying hard to sway local Japanese citizens to vote against whaling.
Please visit their site to learn more....
http://www.greenpeace.org/
GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS ARRESTED FOR EXPOSING WHALE MEAT THEFT
Please Click this link for more info on this cover up.....
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/activists-arrested-200608 .
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CETACEAN SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL
A not-for-profit organisation creating awareness about whaling. It includes an interesting link;
http://www.csiwhalesalive.org/csiwhy.html
SURFERS FOR CETACEANS
Founded by Pro Surfer Dave Rastovich and Good mate Howie Cooke, S4C is a call to surfers everywhere in the world to take action on behalf of the whales and dolphins they share the waves with.
http://www.surfersforcetaceans.com/sfc.html
TEENS AGAINST WHALING
Teens Against Whaling was started by 16yr old Skye Bortoli as a website to educate the youth on the dangers facing the whales of the world. Today it has become an example of how keen our youth are to help our planet.
http://www.teensagainstwhaling.com/
IFAW - INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE
IFAW works to improve animal welfare, prevent animal cruelty and abuse, protect wildlife and provide animal rescue around the world. One of their main objectives is to prevent the extinction of whales.
http://www.stopwhaling.com.au
IFAW PROJECT 551 - Please make a whale tail to help stop whaling. Your photo will be part of a Tv ad and a Big Book to go to the Australian Government.
http://www.project551.org/
We hope it will help exert regional pressure on Japan to cease its illegal whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. Please don’t join to turn it into a racial battleground.
Japan is singled out as it is the only country to have breached the:
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
- United Nations Charter on Nature,
- The Antarctic Treaty System,
- The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and
- The International Convention on the Regulation of
Whaling
http://www.ifaw.org/ifaw/general/de
Japan is also the ONLY country doing it under pathetic lies of "Scientific Research".
Lastly, These waters are within the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone. The Australian Federal Court ruled on January 15 2008 that the Japanese whaling is illegal and should be stopped.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,2359
Admin.
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OUR WHALES ARE DYING....
Japan inhumanely uses grenade tipped harpoons to kill more than 1,000 whales a year in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary near Antarctica using a loophole in the international moratorium for a ban on whaling that allows catching whales for so called "research" purposes.
This year Japan is planning on expanding the catch to include 50 humpback whales, which are considered "endangered" in some regions of the world. The Japanese expedition also plans to kill 50 endangered fin whales - the world's second largest animal & oldest living Mammal - as well as 935 smaller minke whales.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/whale-wa
Don’t buy the argument that Japan’s motivation to continue whaling is about maintaining their culture or conducting scientific research as they claim….
Whales once provided the Japanese with a cheap source of protein & the oil was used to light night lanterns. Consumption actually peaked just after world war 2 when the Americans suggested Japan take up commercial whaling to feed its citizens - Food was scarce & the population was starving. Whaling was a temporary fix.
No longer is there a critical need to kill whales due to food shortages & Japan, being one of the most advanced nations on Earth, no longer needs the oil to light their night lanterns that they had done centuries ago. Traditional Japanese whaling was only ever very minor coastal whaling.
Furthermore, whale meat is hardly a popular food in Japan. Roughly, only 1% of the population has ever tried it and even fewer regularly eat it (Japan Today Newspaper). They tried to introduce the meat to children via a 'School lunchtime program'. The kids emphatically made it clear, they did not like the taste of it & prefer not to eat it.
Running boats into the Southern ocean each year is costly and inefficient work for the Japanese for little financial gain. It is estimated the whalers are now $50M in debt & would be bankrupt if the Japanese government didnt fund them.
In 2007, Japan had over 4, 000 tons of whale meat in frozen storage, uneaten, unsold and UNWANTED!
http://www.greenpeace.org/internati
As for the science argument, scientists globally have affirmed over and over again that any research could be, and in fact is, conducted without actually hacking these remarkable creatures to death in our oceans….
WHERE IS THE SCIENCE..... ???
The big secret is what the Australian Broadcasting Corporation uncovered in 2006 with their Science show “Catalyst”. They discovered of the 18year JARPA 1 program, which lethally obtained samples from over 6800 whales, less than 55 peer reviewed papers were produced, 14 that could be relevant to goals of the JARPA program and ONLY 4 that would require lethal sampling.
Watch the Catalyst video here uncover Japan's SHAM whale 'scientific research' program....
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stor
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?u
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GRISLY WHALING VIDEO FROM AUS CUSTOMS 2008 .
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/
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WHERE WE HAVE GONE WRONG
The IWC, the body charged with governing whaling internationally, is a mess & needs an urgent Overhaul. It allocates equal voting power to all members, with decisions made on a three-quarters majority vote.
This ‘democratic’ nature of the Commission however has allowed Japan to buy the votes of weaker developing countries with aid packages and other financial incentives.
Even land locked developing countries such as Mongolia are joining the IWC & voting alongside Japan in favour of whaling. Japan has almost bought out enough votes in this way to overturn the Moratorium on Whaling, which would allow it to again conduct commercial whaling that once culled 90% of all whales!
http://www.iwcoffice.org/commission
Clearly we need to think outside the IWC to put a stop to this tragic and archaic practice.
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PETITIONS TO SIGN!
By far the most popular Anti Whaling Petition Internationally (with a staggering 840,000 signatures from over 239 countries) is the Whales Revenge petition.
http://www.whalesrevenge.c
One of the most popular in Australia (over 60,000 ppl have signed) is the Greenpeace endorsed joint Daily Telegraph/Today petition:
http://www.news.com.au/dai
Another good one especially for our New Zealand members (over 10,300 signatures) is the Dominion Post Anti Whaling Petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/
Due to the larger number of British Citizens joining this group the following petition would be good to sign. (it is new and only has 180 signatures so needs the support)
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk
IFAW's (International Fund for Animal Welfare) Anti- Whaling site and Petition
http://www.stopwhaling.com
The International Whale Protection Organisation has just started a new petition. Please support it.
http://www.thepetitionsite
All 6 petitions will be forwarded onto Japanese government officials. Have your say in stopping these illegal whaling incursions into Australian & New Zealand territorial waters.
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ANNUAL DOLPHIN SLAUGHTER
Each year tens-of-thousands of dolphins & pilot whales are massacred across Southern Japan in brutal slayings.
Be warned the following video is extremely graphic with Dolphins being dragged behind trucks and others being hacked open whilst still alive.
View this disgusting Dolphin slaughter video here....
http://www.facebook.com/vi
Please sign the below petition. It has a massive 1, 178, 397 signatures and was created by Pedro Oliveira.
http://www.PetitionOnline.
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SEA SHEPHERD CONSERVATION SOCIETY
Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is directly involved in stopping the killing of whales. FACT: When their two ships are present; 'Farley Mowat' & 'Steve Irwin', No whales Die!
In the most recent season, The Japanese set a quota for over 1000 whales. Thanks to the direct intervention of the Sea Shepherd Crew, the Japanese fell way short barely killing 500 whales.
These guys are taking huge steps to prevent the slaughter of whales. The crew are unpaid volunteers from around the world and they often put their own lives on the line to protect marine wildlife from illegal poaching.
Please visit their website to read more & get updates on the whaling fleet.
http://www.seashepherd.org
SEA SHEPHERD FORUM
http://www.seashepherd.com
WANT TO HELP the most effective anti-whaling organisation on the planet?
Please click this link and read some more....
http://www.facebook.com/to
DONATE TO SEA SHEPHERD
To make a donation to the most effective Anti-Whaling organisation in the world please click the following link.
http://www.seashepherd.org
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GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL
Greenpeace are involved in whaling via their awareness programs. Every year they send their ship 'Esperanza' south to document the cruel slaughter & then broadcast the images to the world.
They also have members on the ground in Japan who are trying hard to sway local Japanese citizens to vote against whaling.
Please visit their site to learn more....
http://www.greenpeace.org/
GREENPEACE ACTIVISTS ARRESTED FOR EXPOSING WHALE MEAT THEFT
Please Click this link for more info on this cover up.....
http://www.greenpeace.org/
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CETACEAN SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL
A not-for-profit organisation creating awareness about whaling. It includes an interesting link;
http://www.csiwhalesalive.
SURFERS FOR CETACEANS
Founded by Pro Surfer Dave Rastovich and Good mate Howie Cooke, S4C is a call to surfers everywhere in the world to take action on behalf of the whales and dolphins they share the waves with.
http://www.surfersforcetac
TEENS AGAINST WHALING
Teens Against Whaling was started by 16yr old Skye Bortoli as a website to educate the youth on the dangers facing the whales of the world. Today it has become an example of how keen our youth are to help our planet.
http://www.teensagainstwha
IFAW - INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE
IFAW works to improve animal welfare, prevent animal cruelty and abuse, protect wildlife and provide animal rescue around the world. One of their main objectives is to prevent the extinction of whales.
http://www.stopwhaling.com
IFAW PROJECT 551 - Please make a whale tail to help stop whaling. Your photo will be part of a Tv ad and a Big Book to go to the Australian Government.
http://www.project551.org/
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