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Profitable Activism: Sea Shepherd’s Skyrocketing Income

A graph from a recent Sankei Shimbun article shows the amount of money that the radical animal rights organization Sea Shepherd has brought in over the last ten years:

sea shepherd profitable violent activism

The graph, using the latest data from 2010, shows that Sea Shepherd’s income has sharply risen since the non-profit organization escalated its violent actions against Japanese whaling ships. The airing of the “Whale Wars” TV series has had an especially profitable influence.

In February, Sea Shepherd claimed victory over whalers when its aggressive and dangerous attacks forced an early end to a hunting expedition. Japan has responded by dispatching a Fisheries Agency patrol boat to provide security to its latest hunt. As usual, almost all of the 900 whales on this year’s quota will be unendangered minke whales.

Western media reports about this year’s hunt have predictably followed anti-whaling talking points about the alleged misuse of government disaster relief funds to aid the whaling program, downplaying or ignoring the fact that an important whaling community was destroyed by the March 11th tsunami. One Television New Zealand has included this quote from Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson:

“I think that its totally disgraceful. People from around the world sending money to help the victims of the Tsunami-earthquake were not expecting their money to be used to fund killing whales in the Southern Ocean.”

Like so many of Watson’s past statements, it is a lie. The whaling program is subsidized by the Japanese government, not by international charity donations for tsunami relief. The Japanese government does not have authority over the millions of dollars of international charity donations, which are being handled by non-profit relief organizations. Television New Zealand’s failure to fact-check is lending credibility to a very ugly falsehood.

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98 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - December 7, 2011 at 5:03 pm

Categories: Anti-Japan, Japanese Food Tags:

Richard Burt

Hey if it helps them stop the Japanese butchering whales, more power to them.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

You’re a model supporter of Sea Shepherd, Mr. Burt.

Violence and dishonesty? Anything is justified if it supports your cause…

http://twitter.com/inchiki_gaijin 武恋伝

Now just imagine if the whales were as cute as baby seals… *sigh* Wouldn’t that make for even better propaganda… err, wait… I might be giving them ideas

Kevin not kevin

No, if they were as cute as seals, they would be clubbed by Canadians.

http://twitter.com/inchiki_gaijin 武恋伝

Yeah, but then again, at least if they were seals they could form the backbone of a sustainable industry :p

Richard Burt

So you support the cruel treatment of whales for so-called scientific research? (whose being dishonest now?)
And if you want to throw around words like ‘violence’, how about the violence against whales that are highly intelligent, sentient beings?
Unlike a cow or pig that is killed at a slaughter house reasonably quickly (stunned then throat cut), whales weighing between 10 & 60 tones, have to be chased across the ocean, then harpooned, often dying slowly.
Japanese whaling data shows that 25% of Minke whales take more than 5 minutes to die. Larger whales have been reported as taking up to an hour to die.
Think for a minute what would happen, if at slaughter house, cows where routinely chased for half an hour or so then stabbed a bit and left to bleed to death for 5-10 minutes… outrage maybe?

http://www.japanprobe.com James

so-called scientific research?

Research is conducted and published. The IWC created rules that let whaling countries continue to conduct whaling, as long as the hunts also included research.

whales that are highly intelligent, sentient beings?

Minke whales are not highly intelligent. Their level of intelligence is similar to sheep and other livestock.

if at slaughter house, cows where routinely chased for half an hour or so then stabbed a bit and left to bleed to death for 5-10 minutes… outrage maybe?

Whales get to live years in the wild, living natural lives before suffering for an hour. Cattle, chickens, and other livestock spend their entire lives in tiny cells, imprisoned and waiting for death.

But let’s be honest here. This has nothing to do about cruelty. Even if the Japanese whalers had a method that killed whales instantly, you’d still oppose whaling.

Richard Burt

LOL, if you want to believe its about the Research good for you. ICR is a front for commercial whaling. It was established to give a scientific fig leaf to the hunt.

Minke whales being stupid or unintelligent is just propaganda, they have similar levels of intelligence to other whales

So because a whale gets live for a portion of its life in the wild, it’s ok to kill it cruelly?

Lets be honest? Yes lets that would be good for change. This has everything to do with cruelty.
Japanese Whalers don’t have a method that kills whales instantly, so until they do (if ever) hypothetical comments are pointless.

Whaling in Japan is (like a lot of things in Japan) more about vested interests and their relationships with political parties.

Opposition to whaling shouldn’t be dressed up as anti-Japanese either. Plenty of people (myself included) are opposed to whaling but have a love of Japan.

http://twitter.com/inchiki_gaijin 武恋伝

So, Richard, I’m curious. On what grounds do you oppose whaling? Is it because they are endangered, or because of their intelligence?
http://www.japanprobe.com James

I think the research hunt rule was a good compromise between countries that wanted to stop whaling and countries that want to continue whaling on a small scale. Nations like Japan stay within the IWC’s regulations, and the number of whales killed remains too small to impact overall populations.

Minke whales being stupid or unintelligent is just propaganda, they have similar levels of intelligence to other whales

Propaganda? I base my statements on what has been said by Australian environmentalist Tim Flannery.”If these animals are closer in intelligence to the sheep than the dog, is it morally wrong to eat them if they can be harvested sustainably?”

http://www.news.com.au/top-stories/flannery-says-japan-whaling-sustainable/story-e6frfkp9-1111115219473#ixzz1fuS6e81E

So because a whale gets live for a portion of its life in the wild, it’s ok to kill it cruelly?

You were making an argument about cruelty, implying that whales should enjoy the better treatment that cows are given. I pointed out that only focusing on the moment of slaughter was not a really fair way to present the issue. On the subjective issue of cruelty, I tend to believe that cows, chickens, and pigs live under crueler conditions and suffer longer. (Pigs are, by the way, very intelligent animals. Probably far more intelligent than minke whales. )

I agree that it would be better to kill the whales in a quicker manner. But for you, is this about humane slaughtering methods? Is it because you are worried that Japanese consumers might be eating very small amounts of mercury in meat? Is it because of your concern about efficient use of Japanese tax money? Even if all of those problems were fixed, would you still be opposed to whaling?

I am guessing that you are like a great many other passionate opponents of whaling. Those problems are just camouflage for your real motivation – a moral belief that whales are special creatures that should never be killed and eaten.
KING

I think the scientific research was the only way that Japan could take to oppose the ban of whaling and to continue whaling. International feeling toward Japan was much harsher around 80s. That was because of WW2 and trade issues. At that time, Japanese were depicted in foreign media as a robot with no human feeling but just work.
So, Japan at that time never could think of leaving the IWC or any kind of international group. Japan was afraid of isolation, negative image and further bashing. Japan had to be within the IWC. This is the reason why Japan do scientific research whaling, not a normal whaling as other whaling countries do.
yankdownunder

“Whaling in Japan is (like a lot of things in Japan) more about vested interests and their ‘relationships with political parties.”

What fairyland do you live in where everyone is so pure?
This and your other comments show how anti-Japan you are.
Anonymous

Yet this is why supporters of ‘animal rights’ protection get it all wrong. In order for you to enjoy eating meat, the livestock has to be killed indiscriminately at a slaughterhouse, otherwise you will never get anything from a butcher’s shop. All those news reports about barbaric conditions of so-called Halal and Kosher meats are just smokescreens.

What cruelty? Why are you not lobbying your government to ban slaughterhouses altogether and demand asking pigs, cattle, fowl and other edible livestock whether they want to die for you?

Minke whales are smart? If they see you in water, chances are they will eat you and ask questions later.

What a hypocrite.

Yoplait22

Heavyweight Australian and NZ academics examined the so-called ‘research’ compiled by Japan’s whaling industry. They concluded that the quality of the research was ‘severely lacking’, was of a very poor standard, and was below the entry requirements for any serious, ‘tier one’ academic publications. Most of the ‘whaling research’ is published in second string journals. It’s not taken seriously by anyone. It’s a joke. But everyone knows that.

All power to Sea Shepherd. Good luck Captain Watson.

Richard Burt

Actually this is a Reply to James, the reply button wasn’t working.

This is from the Economist
http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2010/03/whales_their_intelligence_and_japans_treatment_them

“Studies show that they can solve problems and use tools; show grief and
joy; and of course they live in complex societies as a key adaptive
strategy to their vast watery environment. Cognitively advanced, whales
have powers of acoustic processing, communication and social
intelligence”

Flannery provides no hard evidence that Minke are ‘un-intelligent’ other than an arbitrary judgement based on brain size. Minkes being stupid or un-intelligent has been propagated buy the Japanese Gov & relevant ministries as an excuse for hunting them,
“cockroaches of the sea” being the most famous comment.

http://www.rense.com/general12/roaches.htm

If Minke are not the most intelligent of whales, they are then the ‘least smart kid’ of a rather smart overall group of animals, this doesn’t make them stupid.
While I would agree with Flannery that the hunting of Minke could be done in a sustainable manor (unlike other whale species they are endangered) however I would go back to my earlier point regarding the ability to humanly kill an animal of that size.
yankdownunder

Heavyweight Australian …

World-famous research experts examined your fat aussies examinations and saidit was covered in too much sheep blood to be read.
http://www.japanprobe.com James

Yoplait’s comment criticizes the quality of Japanese research, but if he supports Captain Watson, he doesn’t give a shit about research quality. Even if the research was top notch, he would still condemn it.

“This is from the Economist…”

And I notice that the sentence immediately before your excerpt quotes the crackpot LSD-user John C. Lilly as if he is a respectable source on animal intelligence.

In the end, the “whales are super intelligent” argument comes down highly subjective evaluations of what constitutes intelligence. Without resorting to wishful thinking (or LSD), one simply cannot say that whales posses close to our level of intelligence.

I would like to see an end to the problems with Japanese whaling. It would be great if an efficient and quick method of killing could be produced. It would be good if research was improved. And it would be good if the business could be improved to a point where it would not require subsidies.

Unfortunately, violent ramming of Japanese whaling ships and dishonest arguments against whaling distract the Japanese public from the real problems, and only make them focus on how Sea Shepherd and its supporters are scum. The whalers look like the victims and so public opinion remains in favor of the whaling subsidies.
Anonymous

Ever heard of manufactured doubt? Big surprise for you: the tobacco industry does it, the asbestos industry does it, why is it a surprise that pro-whaling states do it?

Keep this in mind: who drove Japan’s whaling stocks into extinction, such that the Japanese are forced to sail half an ocean away for their annual whale catch?

Too bad both you and Richard Burt are too stupid to comprehend reality.
Richard Burt

Reply to yankdownunder

Are you on Youtube? Because you certainly act like one of the trolls that live there.

“Justin McCurry is a racist stupid ugly baby-eating pedophile ”
“your fat aussies”

I disagree with Japanese whaling; I think the back & forth (which has been relativity civil) that I have had with James & a few others has established that. But how is being critical of whaling anti Japanese (or racist as some people here have hinted at) ?
I disagree with whaling you support it fine. We can argue about that, but what we cant agree about the things in Japan that we love?
And if I hated Japan so much (as you seem to believe) why would I have been there 3 times?

Your response are simplistic and frankly childish.

Reply to King.

“Why aren’t they victims?” I think we have to agree to disagree. I don’t believe whaling is Humane, you do.

“I think mercury issue is just another excuse for anti-whaling group” I would agree anti whaling groups have used this as an argument, but isn’t it a legitimate one? whale meat is (as you point out, due to bio-accumulation) contaminated with mercury. Mercury is something that you don’t want in your system. Why would you continue to eat whale meat?

And again I’ll say it, Fukushima doesn’t have a lot to do with this so why do you keep bring it up?

Reply to zyrog123456

“Too bad both you and Richard Burt are too stupid to comprehend reality. ”

“How does it feel being brainwashed by the MSM and taking everything you
read out there at face value? I’m surprised mosquitoes are smarter than
you. ”

“You are a blithering fool.”

Wow you must have been a star on your school debating team with those kind of arguments…… I am in awe of your intellect.

I am sorry to say it but you are not unlike those annoying nationalist vans with the loud speakers that driver around Tokyo spewing out propaganda…

Reply to James This might be of interst, it point out a few facts about brain size to body mass and kind of debunks it as a myth.http://www.highnorth.no/library/myths/br-si-bo.htm
http://twitter.com/inchiki_gaijin 武恋伝

Zyrog: Manufactured doubt is certainly a concern. But simply bringing up is specter and then accusing pro-whaling nations of using it is specious — anti-whaling organizations are just as capable of engaging in these tactics. The more important question is who is engaging in spreading falsehoods.

Anonymous

Pigs are highly intelligent animals, yet they are slaughtered by the tens of thousands and used for scientific experiments every year. How is that anymore different than killing whales?

Are you seriously implying that we should swim towards whales and ask them whether they like being hunted?

You are not only stupid, but hypocritical and delusional. Outrage? Foreigners had zero problems driving Japan’s whaling stocks to extinction, but they are so opposed to Japan hunting whales in international waters, they will resort to violence to force Japan to stop what they’re doing.

You are a blithering fool.

Dyke van Dick

I’ll be sure to order the 鯨三昧 and toast your idiocy this Friday at my local izakaya.

Richard Burt

Hey if you enjoy high levels of mercury, good for you. I’d stick with the 焼き鳥

KING

Do you know whalers are victims of mercury pollution? and you think its good to bash them?Do you bash farmers near the Fukushima nuclear plants by saying their products are radioactive? I dont.
Whalers are very much the same as
such farmers. Polluters are not whalers but coal
industries mostly. I have never heard of anti-whaling group criticizing mercury polluters.

Richard Burt

“whalers are victims of mercury pollution”, no I think it’s the whales that are victims of mercury pollution. I am just confused as to why people would sell and eat whale meat when it is known to be contaminated by mercury.

Have a read of this Reuters article
http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/08/01/us-japan-whalemeat-idUST6359120070801

” I have never heard of anti-whaling group criticising mercury polluters”
Greenpeace has made repeated protests against mercury (and other pollutants) pollution throughout the world.

And your linkage to Fukushima is frankly irrelevant and offensive. I may not like whaling but that didn’t stop me from donating money at the time of the Tsunami.

In reply to 武恋伝

I am opposed to whaling primarily because of the cruelty involved. Yes they are beautiful creatures, but that isn’t an appropriate reason not to eat them.
For example I love dogs, I have had pet dogs throughout my life, I wouldn’t eat a dog, but I am not going to object to a Korean person doing it as long as its done humanly.
The idea that we can humanly kill a massive wild creature like a whale is delusional.

“If these animals are closer in intelligence to the sheep than the dog,
is it morally wrong to eat them if they can be harvested sustainably?”

Have you actually read the statement? Flannery makes the point of saying ‘if’, which immeaditly establishes his statement as a hypothetical exercise. He is making the point that if it was established that a Minke whale was of similar or equal intelligence to a sheep would it be morally wrong to eat it (as we eat sheep and this is considered normal).
This statement makes a valid point as an exercise in moral thinking, it doesn’t in any way establish the intelligence of a Minke whale.

Here is an article from Scientific American that looks at whale intelligence.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=are-whales-smarter-than-we-are

http://www.japanprobe.com James

Have you actually read the statement? Flannery makes the point of saying ‘if’, which immeaditly establishes his statement as a hypothetical exercise. He is making the point that if it was established that a Minke whale was of similar or equal intelligence to a sheep would it be morally wrong to eat it (as we eat sheep and this is considered normal).

I’ve read the statement, as I have read other statements by Flannery, all of which establish that he does have the view that minke whales are not especially intelligent. He has also called minke whales “the rabbits of the ocean.”

Here’s another article, which makes it clear that Flannery’s quote come from an article arguing “that smaller-brained whales could be hunted sustainably.” He isn’t idly asking hypothetical questions, he is telling people that there is nothing wrong with sustainable minke whale hunts. He doesn’t agree with people who think that minke whales should be spared because of their intelligence because he doesn’t see evidence suggesting that such intelligence exists.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/flannery-says-whaling-is-ok/story-e6freuy9-1111115216998

Here is an article from Scientific American that looks at whale intelligence.

That article doesn’t in any way establish the intelligence of whales. It discusses brain sizes, then contains some wild speculation about intelligence and a weird ending with a “gee, what if whales had hands?” question. Wishful thinking from whale-lovers…

If minke whales really were “highly intelligent, sentient beings” as you claim, I’d expect better evidence than that.
KING

Fukushima farmers and whalers are very much a like. Both are victims of pollutions which came from outside of their communities. Yes, marine animals and fish are polluted by mercury and others by bioaccumulation. So we have now regulation on sea product about how much fish and whale meat we can eat. And whalers now do some pollution test for their products. Why aren’t they victims?

http://irukao-mamorukai.blog.so-net.ne.jp/2010-07-31

http://www.tanteifile.com/tamashii/scoop_2011/11/01_01/

http://www.whaling.jp/press/pr20110513.pdf

http://www.icrwhale.org/03-A-b-06-1.html

And you wrote,
> if you enjoy high levels of mercury, good for you

Do you say the same thing to the buyer of Fukushima products? We can buy Fukushima products at supermarket, they are sold because they passed the radiation check.

I think mercury issue is just another excuse for anti-whaling group. They dont care where mercury came from, they dont care whether whalers are victims of pollution or not. When I read your comment above, I thought you are one of such people.

One more. I think there is one way to reduce the level of mercury in the ocean. That is to kill whales regularly and treat them as mercury source or dump them in land. There was an idea to reduce radiation level in Japan by planting a certain plant which seem to grow fast and accumulate nuclear material. Unfortunately, some test cases revealed the plant which was considered good was found not so good.

Anonymous

Violence on international waters as if this is WWII on the high seas? What are you smoking, kid.
http://twitter.com/ArrowHead83 The Dave

Reported.

yankdownunder

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/dec/07/japan-whaling-fleet-tsunami-earthquake-funds
“Japan whaling fleet accused of using tsunami disaster funds”
Justin McCurry in Tokyo

Justin McCurry is a racist stupid ugly baby-eating pedophile .

Do you think his newspaper would print the headline “Justin McCurry accused of being a … pedofile”?
At least my accusation is partly true unlike his complete fabrication.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

Justin McCurry’s article doesn’t contain complete fabrications. Even the headline is true – Japan has been accused of using the funds ( by the Greenpeace spokesman McCurry used to provide most of the content for the article). I think the argument is that the government’s whaling subsidy should have been cut, so the tax money could be given to other victims of the disaster.

Watson’s statement is the complete fabrication.

http://twitter.com/ArrowHead83 The Dave

Journalists are supposed to at least make an attempt at fact checking. The ones caught spreading disinformation from Sea Shepherd as if it has even a grain of truth should be fired for failing severely at that.

yankdownunder

The Sydney Morning Herald did check.
“Mr Kaz Inadome from the Japanese Consulate said no money from the disaster relief fund had been used.”

Reporter Andrew Darby in Hobart put this as the last sentence in his article “Japan uses $28.5m in disaster funds for whaling: claim”

SMH has another article titled “Whaling funding a disgrace: Sea Shepherd”
Again the fact that “no money from the disaster relief fund had been used.” is the last sentence.

Both articles were published Dec 7. Coincidence?

yankdownunder

http://www.smh.com.au/environment/whale-watch/japan-uses-285m-in-disaster-funds-for-whaling-claim-20111207-1ohzc.html

Sydney Morning Herald
“Japan uses $28.5m in disaster funds for whaling: claim”
What does that mean “:claim”?

http://twitter.com/ArrowHead83 The Dave

It means the SMH is making a sliver-thin attempt at sounding balanced while propagating a BS talking point.

Richard Burt

The article actually reports the accusation and complaint made by 18 Japanese NGO’s to the Japanese government; with the point of contention being that a chunk of funding was going towards provide security to the fleet; not re-building damaged fishing facilities & ports (which does need to occur) with the letter stating:
(as as far as I know this was written by Japanese citizens to their own Prime Minister)

“We demand the government not waste any more taxpayers’ money on the
whaling program, but instead spend this money on projects that actually
help the people, communities and region affected by the tragic March 11
earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis,”The SMH (along with the Guardian) just reported what happened, I don’t see why everyone is getting so aggressive about it.

Anonymous

How does it feel being brainwashed by the MSM and taking everything you read out there at face value? I’m surprised mosquitoes are smarter than you.

Example

“downplaying or ignoring the fact that an important whaling community was destroyed by the March 11th tsunami.”

And it needs to be rebuilt from scratch because…?

http://www.japanprobe.com James

“We’ve pledged to help rebuild all the communities destroyed by the tsunami, but sorry – we’ve decided to break that promise for just your town, because it had an industry that is disliked by foreign animal rights activists.”

That government policy sure would go over well….

flowby

Actually I’m surprised by the relatively low amount of income. Purchasing, supplying and maintaining boats and other equipment, active promotion, advertising, etc all costs big. Some cash in the hand, off the books type deals methinks.

And, perhaps Japan Whale Inc should try similar fundraising tactics.

Like make a popular tv series, liberally sprinkled with tarento, and present their side in a lively cheese on crackers style. Could get millions through direct donations to accompany the fat suckled from elite advertising.
bernician

I’m not sure your commentary is right here. One of the towns badly hurt by the tsunami was a major wailing base was it not? It is being reconstructed along with other towns too right? Thus tsunami relief stuff is funding whaling in a round about fashion

http://www.japanprobe.com James

in a round about fashion

If you want to think about it that way, you can. Heck, you could even say that giving any charity to homeless people in Japan “funds” whaling, since those people will eventually pay taxes.

But statements in question – that imply that the international charity donations are directly funding the Japanese whaling program – are an entirely different thing.
Anonymous

Why does it matter that some of the relief funds will be used to rebuild a devastated whaling community? Livelihoods have been irreversibly impacted, is that not enough for you?

Letting personal beliefs and convictions get in the way of charitable causes is horrendously stupid.

http://www.facebook.com/rallegretti Rob Allegretti

Nothing I could say could top the awesomeness of this comment thread.

flowby

How about South Parks “F*k you Cow, F*k you Chicken”.

Mercyseverity111

Not sure if this has been talked about yet, but there are a couple of news articles with quotes from a Japanese Fisheries Agency official confirming the allocation of government relief funds to the Whaling fleet.
http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/08/world/asia/japan-whaling-funds/
http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2011/12/08/use-of-recovery-funds-stokes-japan-whaling-row/
Could be taken out of context though…
I understand sea shepherd is false in claiming that the whalers are dipping right into charity donations to fund their hunt, but IMO it is still wrong that money set aside by the government for the earthquake victims is going to beefed up security boats to protect whalers as opposed to actually physically rebuilding houses, sending food, supplies etc.Also did we forget about the fin whales? The quota is for 50 endangered fin whales.Though a low number, an endangered animal should be off limits until it recovers (which it hasn’t yet) that goes for Iceland too!

yankdownunder

“It is amazing the Japanese whaling fleet left port on the anniversary of Pearl Harbour.” How pathetic is that”. The Japanese Government does not care about anyone and still will not admit their “atrocities during World War two”

All whales south of the equator are not for Japanese “killing”

All countries should condemn this so called “scientific” killing of whales when they end up in the food chain of Japanese restaurants.

The caption for 2012 should be “Slap a Jap with sanctions”.

Have a nice day

Dave Mohr Brisbane Australia”

This is one comment from the CNN article. The other comments are similar.
Stop the lies. Stop the hatred.

yankdownunder

The comment I quoted was from the WSJ article, not CNN article.

Mercyseverity111
“it is still wrong that money set aside by the government for the earthquake victims is going to beefed up security boats to protect whalers as opposed to actually physically rebuilding houses, sending food, supplies etc”
The houses are being built and the supplies sent. To suggest that they are not is wrong.

Mercyseverity111

I’m not saying they aren’t, but they sure as hell are not finished! Though it appears many of the affected areas are clear and clean there is still so much to be done and there are still people homless.

Anonymous

This is a blog so I can’t fault you for having a point of view that is reflected in the story (“aggressive, violent, etc”) but I have NO sympathy for the whaling. Even if you have no problem with unnecessarily killing sentient creatures for food (which I do) how can you be ok with the particularly cruel and slow manner in which whales are killed with harpoons? Is that really worth it? Would you be ok with killing a cow that slowly and painfully?

Although I don’t support inaccurate statements by Watson or anyone else to criticize Watson for an attempt to mislead is rather rich when you compare it to the huge lie that the Japanese government puts forward that the killing is for science reasons. Ever hear of a plank of wood in the eye?

As soon as I finish this comment I’m making a contribution to Sea Shepard.

yankdownunder

inaccurate statements by Watson
vs.
to the huge lie that the Japanese government puts forward

Your prejudice is showing.
http://www.japanprobe.com James

I don’t support inaccurate statements by Watson or anyone else …… I’m making a contribution to Sea Shepard.

You support inaccurate statements.

the huge lie that the Japanese government puts forward that the killing is for science reasons

Who says that the killing is only for scientific reasons? My understanding is that the hunt is allowed by the IWC as long as it includes research along with the hunting.

It is a compromise intended to keep Japan within the regulations of the IWC while allowing it to hunt and eat a tiny number of whales.

Hamachiman

Yea, because pigs, cows, and other animals in our world’s slaughterhouse’s are killed so “humanely” as good old Richard likes to give the impression of:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2010/oct/07/animal-welfare-abuse-slaughterhousehttp://www.mercyforanimals.org/hor/http://www.mercyforanimals.org/investigations.aspx

Richard Burt

I would make this point, in Australia cows are stunned with a high voltage high current electric shock which renders them unconscious in a matter of seconds, they then have there throats cut.( A similar procedure is followed in the EU and in the US) is this humane? Vegetarians and vegans wouldn’t think so; I think it is humane because it because it is quick and does not excessively prolong the suffering of the animal. When killing a large whale, the mass of the animal makes it difficult to hit vital organs and achieve a guaranteed quick kill. In many cases whales effectively drown in there own blood over an extended period.
You can hate on people who dislike whaling all you want, but it is pretty hard to ignore the fact that a large number of whales killed take a extended period to die.

yankdownunder

“You can hate on people who dislike whaling ”

I do not hate “people who dislike whaling.”

I do not like whaling.

Lies,bigots, violence are things I hate.
People like Watson and too many of his supporters
are violent, lying bigots.
ponta

”in Australia cows are stunned with a high voltage high current electric shock which renders them unconscious in a matter of seconds, they then have there throats cut.( A similar procedure is followed in the EU and in the US) is this humane? Vegetarians and vegans wouldn’t think so; I think it is humane”

Australian Beef Slaughterhouse SBA Foods (Gilbertsons) (part 4-10)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tBY6_GdJLI

Concealed Cruelty – Pork Industry Animal Abuse Exposed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBR4FlrWVk4

UK SLAUGHTERHOUSE 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxdQKvp-S0Q

Do you think it is humane? —-I am appalled.

You said,”I’d stick with the 焼き鳥”
How about Egg McMuffins‬?

The Rotten Truth About Egg McMuffins‬
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=r6E8H3C1CrU

Aren’t birds sentient beings?

Richard Burt

Way to selectively quote me…you missed “because it because it is quick and does not excessively prolong the suffering of the animal.”

Does this make the current methods of animal slaughter practised perfect? hell no. Your videos point out the flaws in the system which I would (and a hell of a lot of animal rights activists) like to see changed. Pigs & chickens should be in fields not cages.
I am critical of these flaws as I am of whaling. But you seem to think that because I eat meat I must condone these acts? I don’t. I eat free range eggs, free range organic pork, chicken & fish. Because it
means less suffering for the animal, and it tastes better.

And Egg McMuffins? Why would I eat that rubbish.

ponta

”Way to selectively quote me…you missed “because it because it is quick and does not excessively prolong the suffering of the animal.”

So you were not accurate; your claim was “in Australia cows are stunned with a high voltage high current electric shock which renders them unconscious in a matter of seconds…… think it is humane because it because it is quick and does not excessively prolong the suffering of the animal. ”

The fact is that in Australia the EU and in the US, in many cases, cows are pig are raised and killed in a brutal way while Whales get to live years in the wild, living natural lives.
You talked as if they were perfect.

” I eat free range eggs, free range organic pork, chicken & fish.”

Could you tell me from which farm you order　焼き鳥, and beef? I’ll check it and ask the firm if the animals　in the farm are living in wild, free of pain.

“I am critical of these flaws as I am of whaling.”

Good.
Why do you think western media put disproportional focus upon just whales ?
In particular　I wonder why Australian media does not go into a frenzy when it comes to brutal treatment of cows, pigs, chicken, kangaroo,camels？　Are they hypocrite?　Do you lament?

Richard Burt

“In particular　I wonder why Australian media does not go into a frenzy
when it comes to brutal treatment of cows, pigs, chicken,
kangaroo,camels?”

In answer to your question, the Australian media has regular coverage of animal rights issues.
Australia has a local animal rights lobby that is very vocal and very critical of what they perceive of as animal suffering. There are regular campaigns against animal creaulty.
The ‘Australia Greens’ a state & federal political party is also critical and vocal on animal rights issues.
Australian media in the last year has been FULL of material concerning live export of cattle, debate about organic labeling, most recently there has been critical stories concerning barn raised chickens.

“Could you tell me from which farm you order　焼き鳥, and beef? I’ll check
it and ask the firm if the animals　in the farm are living in wild, free
of pain”

If we’re going to throw around straw-men, where do you get your chicken and pork?

“The fact is that in Australia the EU and in the US, in many cases, cows
are pig are raised and killed in a brutal way while Whales get to live
years in the wild, living natural lives”

So you show a couple of videos and now ALL farmers in Aust the US & the EU are creul and inhuman? But because a whale swims free in the ocean it OK to kill it cruelly?
Is Australia perfect when it comes to Animal rights? No. But there are laws that are enforced and when people are caught doing the wrong thing they are punished.
ponta

“the Australian media has regular coverage of animal rights issues.

Australia has a local animal rights lobby that is very vocal and very critical of what they perceive of as animal suffering. There are regular campaigns against animal creaulty. ”

Hmmm, Interesting. Could you show us some links of coverage in the media?

“If we’re going to throw around straw-men, where do you get your chicken and pork?”

A supermarket nearby.

“So you show a couple of videos and now ALL farmers in Aust the US & the EU are creul and inhuman? ”

No I said in many cases,

“Is Australia perfect when it comes to Animal rights? No. But there are laws that are enforced and when people are caught doing the wrong thing they are punished.”So is it not painful and wrong to separate a baby pig from his parents and raise him in a tiny space, only to be killed?

Mercyseverity111

Most of what you’re seeing in these videos is what happens when slaughter houses are not following the law (or in the case of the first one looks to be a kosher slaughter, where they are not allowed to use captive bolt guns to instantly kill the cow) Most countries have a “Humane Slaughter act”, which protects the animals from suffering during slaughter, as well as animal cruelty laws. Yes, not all slaughter houses will follow these laws and when they get caught they can be fined, shut down, punished, etc. And you can bet PETA will be all over them. Appalling? yes, and if you don’t like it, become a vegetarian.

Whats protecting the whales? No laws protect the humane treatment of whales like what farm animals get, even in Japan. And it’s arguable how much suffering a whale experiences when be harpooned and dragged and drowned. You can say “well the whale gets to live their lives free in the wild.” That still doesn’t justify such a horrific end. There was once a reddit thread where a slaughter house worker said that when slaughtering beef, most of the time the cows don’t see it coming and die before they realize. Who knows if that’s true.

ponta

“Yes, not all slaughter houses will follow these laws and when they get caught they can be fined, shut down, punished, etc”

So is a baby pig protected from living separately from his parents by the law?
Do they have the right not to be confined in a small space by the law?
Are the birds, sentient beings, are protected to live happily till instant killing by the law?

”You can say “well the whale gets to live their lives free in the wild.” That still doesn’t justify such a horrific end”

You can say that still doesn’t justify such a horrific end in the same sense that the way pigs and cows are raised and killed now doesn’t justify such a horrific life and its end.

Richard Burt

Ponta, your not really making making much sense at this stage….
ponta

“your not really making making much sense at this stage”

At which stage?

Do you not think it is not pailful for a baby pig living separately from her parents?
Is it not painful for the animal to live in a crowded space?

Doesn’t make sense?

Which one would you choose, living in a wild for the most part and killed, or living separately from your parents, in danger of mistreated horribly by humans, in a crammed space, only to be killed in the young ?

Doesn’t make sense?

And which farm do you order your 焼き鳥　and beef?
Doesn’t make sense?
Mercyseverity111

What do you propose is the alternative? I can only hope conditions for farm animals get better and change, and more laws are passed, but it’s the sad truth of the matter that there are so many people on the planet who eat too much meat, and meat must be produced quickly and efficiently, So of course it’s the animals, the “products” that have to live in horrendous, cramped conditions and are made to suffer just to satisfy humans want for meat.

In the end it’s not right, but what if everyone decided to just eat wild animals? Deer, Whales, etc. We would eat them all before they would be able to replace themselves. Farm animal populations are controlled by humans to make sure we never run out of them. There are more chickens alive on the planet right now then there are people.

There is nothing wrong with eating meat, its a natural part of life, but like I said with our population, and the constant demand for meat with every meal, the natural way of things has become so twisted and that’s why we have giant industrial farms. bahh!
ponta

“I can only hope conditions for farm animals get better and change, and more laws are passed,”

Likewise I hope the whalers improve the way they kills the whales.
(I recall reading an article that says they came up with electrified harpoon or something like that.)”In the end it’s not right, but what if everyone decided to just eat wild animals? Deer, Whales, etc.”
Perhaps we need to liberate all animals like cows and pigs and we need to set up the rule as to how many wild animals can be killed just as we do about whales.
“ Farm animal populations are controlled by humans to make sure we never run out of them. There are more chickens alive on the planet right now then there are people.”
`Perhaps the idea of farming animals is ethically wrong. There are no morally relevant differences between the marginal humans and those animals in question. If the former has a moral status, the latter has the same moral status too. Since (most agree would agree that) farming marginal humans are wrong, farming animals are wrong. Farm animal might be controllable by humans, but it would be ethically wrong.
Mercyseverity111

I’m sure we could go around in circles about this.
“Likewise I hope the whalers improve the way they kills the whales.” Yes, I would say the hunt would be much more justified if they found a method to kill the whales instantly, until then I personally cannot support it. Even if a way was found, there are still other hurdles the ICR would have to jump over in order for the hunts to be acceptable in most people’s eyes. (not sea shepherd) For instance not having to rely on so much tax payer yen just to support it, or having credible science, and convincing the IWC the hunts are sustainable. There’s also little demand for the meat in Japan. This is one industry I would have no problem seeing die. (that goes for all other commercialized whaling operations in other countries) but I do think the Japanese people should be deciding for themselves, and they should have a say in it.
ponta

”Yes, I would say the hunt would be much more justified if they found a method to kill the whales instantly, until then I personally cannot support it.”

Likewise you can’t support eating beef,pork and chicken.　And I am wondering why the major western media don’t go into frenzy when it comes to raising and killing cows, pigs, birds in a brutal way as they are doing about whales.

“For instance not having to rely on so much tax payer yen just to support it,”
True. but that is for Japanese people to decide.

”or having credible science, and convincing the IWC the hunts are sustainable.”

Right. And anti- whale hunting activists should also have credible science.

”IWC scientists have ruled that the quota is sustainable, and those in favour of whaling will probably cite that fact – as they did last year – as evidence that the anti-whaling bloc are more concerned with the emotional appeal of the acrobatic humpback than they are with science and the nutritional needs of indigenous peoples.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8112055.stm

Or Japan can leave IWC as Canada left the IWC in 1982
Mercyseverity111

“Likewise you can’t support eating beef,pork and chicken.　And I am wondering why the major western media don’t go into frenzy when it comes to raising and killing cows, pigs, birds in a brutal way as they are doing about whales.”
-Uhhhg I thought I made it pretty clear that I don’t. I’m vegetarian, are you? Didn’t we go through this, there are many people who do not support factory farming and when animal cruelties are committed and caught it is usually investigated. I think we can agree many people grew up thinking eating cow is normal but killing whales is not so they reject it. “but they are so majestic!” This is not an acceptable argument. ”True. but that is for Japanese people to decide.”
-I said that in my last statement. ”or having credible science, and convincing the IWC the hunts are sustainable.”"Right. And anti- whale hunting activists should also have credible science.”
-It is the ICR that is claiming they are hunting whales for science, not anti-whaling groups. And so far the research being done by the ICR hasn’t been credible according to many sources. They should just be honest!
Richard Burt

“And which farm do you order your 焼き鳥　and beef?
Doesn’t make sense? ”

As I mentioned earlier, I buy organic free range beef, chicken & pork, and don’t agree with or support the practices you are highlighting.

So I don’t understand why you keep persisting with the straw-man argument.
Which I am afraid to say seem to be the standard approach of a lot of people here.
e.g. “Whaling is inhumane” answer that with, “but what about this, or that” how about actually arguing weather whaling is inhumane? Yes there are things about farming and agriculture that we’d all like to change, but the argument here is about whaling, not battery hens.
ponta

As I mentioned earlier, I buy organic free range beef, chicken & pork, and don’t agree with or support the practices you are highlighting.I am asking which farm your organic free range beef, chicken and pork come from.I’ll check how they raise and kill the animals.So I don’t understand why you keep persisting with the straw-man argument. To see if you are consistent and to see if it is ethically better than killing whales.”Which I am afraid to say seem to be the standard approach of a lot of people here. e.g. ”Whaling is inhumane” answer that with, “but what about this, or that” how about actually arguing weather whaling is inhumane? Yes there are things about farming and agriculture that we’d all like to change, but the argument here is about whaling, not battery hens.”I am saying whaling is at least as inhumane as farming and killing animals for food.Perhaps whaling is less inhumane than farming and killing for food in a brutal way.And I am saying, provided whales are sustainable, it is inconsistent and hypocritical 1) to hold that raising and killing animals for food is okay while whaling is not okay.2) for western media to cover extensively the problem of whaling while largely turning blind eyes to the unethical raising and killing animals for food that are going on in massive scale worldwide.I am looking forward to reading a guardian article with the photo of bloody pigs which only cite the claims of animals right activists.
ponta

The Organic and Free-Range Myth
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/free-range-organic-meat-myth.aspx
Mercyseverity111

So you know all about the cruelty of factory farming and whaling but you still support it? You think it’s totally justified and ok? You still eat meat? All this argument is is”ok you don’t like whaling, well farming is just as bad!” “you don’t like rape? Well prostitution is just as bad!” So that makes it ok right? Let’s see the whalers take the moral highground.

Though I’d have to say a piglet being seperated from it’s mother, and living in a small cage is still better then humans spending millions of their peoples taxes sailing half way across the world to slowly torture and kill 1000′s of whales, when they do not need the meat. To me it’s still hard to compare. Don’t get me wrong both are horrible, that is why I do not support neither. When a farm raises animals for food, follows laws and regulations, and slaughters the animal in a humane way it is much more ethical then harpooning whale, to have it slowly succumb to body injury, drag it around, and drown on it’s own blood. Even if the whale swam free beforehand. Most farms will not want their animals in terrible conditions because it’s costs them money in the long wrong run when they don’t get qulity meat from their animals. Cruel farm practices are constantly being improved. For instance debeaking of chickens has been banned in Norwegian countries with the UK to follow suit, and methods are being improved to cause less pain and stress.
ponta

-”Uhhhg I thought I made it pretty clear that I don’t. I’m vegetarian, are you? ”

→　No, you said, “There is nothing wrong with eating meat, its a natural part of life”.
Are you vegetarian not because it it wrong to kill animals but just because you like vegetable and you don’t like a natural part of life?

-It is the ICR that is claiming they are hunting whales for science, not anti-whaling groups. And so far the research being done by the ICR hasn’t been credible according to many sources.

→For your reference,(from wiki)
IWC is a commission which ” provides for the proper conservation of whale stocks and thus make possible the orderly development of the whaling industry”

It is the pro-whaling nations that “accuse the IWC of basing these decisions upon “political and emotional” factors rather than upon scientific knowledge ….Non-IWC whaling nations have expressed similar sentiments. Canada withdrew from the IWC after the vote to impose the moratorium, claiming that “[t]he ban was inconsistent with measures that had just been adopted by the IWC that were designed to allow harvests of stocks at safe levels・・・.”".

”They should just be honest!”

→Yes they should.
Richard Burt

The Organic and Free-Range Myth
http://www.peta.org/issues/ani…

Your quoting PETA lol…. They are the one group that is crazier than Sea Shepard.

“So is it not painful and wrong to separate a baby pig from his parents and raise him in a tiny space, only to be killed?”
Yes it is horrible. But it is a practice that is being phased out in Australia. Most large supermarkets will not sale pork raised in pens.

From Australia’s peak animal welfare body.
http://kb.rspca.org.au/What-are-the-animal-welfare-issues-associated-with-pig-farming_109.html

Animals Australia campaign

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/victory-tasmania-bans-sow-stalls.php

http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/sow-stall-vote.php

So find another straw-man

ponta

“So is it not painful and wrong to separate a baby pig from his parents and raise him in a tiny space, only to be killed?”
Yes it is horrible. But it is a practice that is being phased out in Australia. Most large supermarkets will not sale pork raised in pens.

→”WILL NOT” means　it is NOT phased out yet.

To quote from your link.
“These cruel devices are causing suffering to animals now — and will continue to do so every minute that animals remain confined in them. Coles responded to consumer concerns by gaining a commitment from their producers to end the use of sow stalls by 2014,”And we are not yet sure if and how they will do it.

So which farm are you buying beef, pork and chicken from ?

Are there any reasons you can’t name it? or are you just buying beef, pork, chicken from an average supermarket where animals are abused and killed miserably?

I wonder why the hell Guardians, and Australian media are not campaigning　for the animal right activists in Australia, with bloody photos of the injured and killed animals ; Australians are selling and even exporting meats that were produced inhumanely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUU_N1K-5W4&feature=related

You can reduce the much more pain and sufferings of animals by stopping the animal factories in Australia than just protesting 1000 or so whales caught by Japanese whalers; Australian sheep slaughter in 2011 is estimated to 4.8 million head and cattle slaughter is estimated to reach 7.625 million head.

http://www.whaling.jp/shigen.html

http://www.mla.com.au/files/158d8694-bf2b-416c-a193-9f3200b94332/Cattle-Industry-Projections-Mid-year-update-2011.pdf

http://www.mla.com.au/files/05815e7f-1723-4e72-bdd2-9f3c00a6b7f8/Sheep-Projections-Mid-year-update-2011.pdf

Shouldn’t western media be covering ongoing animal cruelty　in Australia by which they export meat just as much as or more often than they cover the whale issue, considering the amount of pains and suffering they can reduce?

Are you already asking people to boycott Australian beef? We should, should’t we if we should give the equal respects to animals slaughtered in Australia that many Australians are paying to the whales?

http://www.facebook.com/kalibushi Guillermo Garcia

Mmmm, I never liked the way this blog uses to support whaling by discrediting any anti whaling activism. You even said that they only sold a few dolphins in Taiji and the rest where freed. How do you want us to believe that?

And you also believe that there is any research interest involved?
After the Fukushima incident it was clear to all that Japanese government is confortable with excessive secrecy and misinformation, maybe you should take a look at things from a different perspective.

Whales, and any other animal species, whether inteligent or not, deserve not to be slaughtered.

I do love Japan like no other country, but I am well aware of its submissivenes and little concern for the enviroment. And on the other hand people will throw it in your face if you don’t recicle a can of coke.

yankdownunder

“it was clear to all that Japanese government is confortable with excessive secrecy and misinformation,”
What government is open with no secrets? Garcialand?

“people will throw it in your face if you don’t recicle a can of coke”
They will politely inform you of your mistake or do it themselves.

“ little concern for the enviroment.”
You obviously know nothing about Japan.

flowby

“little concern for the environment”
You obviously know nothing about Japan.

And therein lies the great paradox – overly cliched – but great none-the-less.

Larry Paomeij

I don’t support any anti-”whanever” that promote harshness. And Sea Shepherd is the one of it. Too bad you on opposite side.

Anonymous

Fools and their money are soon parted.

/shrug

Let this be a lesson to everyone. If you want to be rich, learn to lie, learn to exaggerate. Sensationalistic marketing is what counts, truth rarely matters.
Truthful Tom

EXCUSE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have another issue with “James”………..
Are you going to retract THIS statement you made?????????

“Like so many of Watson’s past statements, it is a lie. The whaling
program is subsidized by the Japanese government, not by international
charity donations for tsunami relief. The Japanese government does not
have authority over the millions of dollars of international charity
donations, which are being handled by non-profit relief organizations.
Television New Zealand’s failure to fact-check is lending credibility to
a very ugly falsehood. ”

As it turns out, the Japanese Government CONFIRMED they WERE using some of the funds for supporting the whaling industry.
But first, they said this :
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/donations-not-funding-whale-slaughter/story-e6frf7lf-1226217573523

I decided since you are so against the “Western Media” (which most of the time I agree with you, it’s crap) I will give you a link to a more “local” source :
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-using-quake-disaster-budget-for-whaling-aid

I think this site generally is great. But YOU are too one-sided with this issue. Since you also are a type of reporter of the news, you should be doing more research.
You have an opinion, it’s fine. I recommend doing more fact-checking yourself.
I do expect some type of retraction for the above statement.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

As it turns out, the Japanese Government CONFIRMED they WERE using some of the funds for supporting the whaling industry.

Try actually reading the post before flying into a rage, Tom. Watson’s is telling people that international charity donations are being used to fund the whaling program, and that is an outright lie.

There’s no disputing that a budget of Japanese government funds for disaster relief included money for the whaling industry – an industry hurt by the disaster. The Western media is spinning the story to make it sound like the aid to the whaling industry will mean less aid for other victims of the disaster, which is misleading and silly. The government has enough funds to help both Tohoku and the whaling industry.

Truthful Tom

let me focus it for you :

you said, “The Japanese government does not
have authority over the millions of dollars of international charity
donations, which are being handled by non-profit relief organizations. ”
i am showing you that you are obviously wrong.
since they seem to have a great deal of control.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

i am showing you that you are obviously wrong.

You haven’t shown anything.

I’ll write it again, but since you lacked the ability to comprehend it the first time, I doubt you’ll comprehend it this time.

International charity donations were given to non-governmental organizations such as the Red Cross. Those funds were not given to the Japanese government. The charity organizations distribute that aid.

The whaling subsidy comes from a disaster relief budget passed by the Japanese government. It comes from Japanese taxpayers, not from international donations.

Watson’s said:

People from around the world sending money to help the victims of the Tsunami-earthquake were not expecting their money to be used to fund killing whales in the Southern Ocean

Watson’s statement is false, and nothing you have written has proven otherwise.

yankdownunder

“local” source
The Japan Today article is from AFP a “Western Media” company.
Japan Today is also a ”Western Media” company and is quite anti-Japan.

Herald Sun
“None of the donations made in support of relief and recovery efforts from the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami have been used or will be used to fund Japan’s Scientific Whaling Research Program,” the statement read.
They did not change one word of this statement.

I recommend doing more fact-checking yourself.I do expect some type of retraction for the above statement.
I wish you would practice what you preach.

http://www.supermerlion.com Supermerlion

5 billion chickens are slaughtered every year, the Japanese catch barely a thousand whales and this group gets millions to stop them? Millions that could have been used toward saving actual human lives in other countries?
yankdownunder

some good news
Today, Kyodo Senpaku Kaisha and the Institute of Cetacean Research along with research vessels’
Masters filed a lawsuit against the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS) and Paul Watson in
the United States.
http://www.icrwhale.org/News.html
Yoplait22

Game over – from the UK/s ‘The Independent’: http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/japan-uses-tsunami-victims-cash-to-shield-whalers-from-activists-6274458.html

“Japan caused outrage yesterday as authorities confirmed it is diverting millions of pounds tagged for the reconstruction of its tsunami-devastated coast to protect its annual Antarctic whale-hunt.

Roughly 2.28bn yen (£19m) from a reconstruction fund for areas badly hit by the crippling 11 March earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear disaster will be used to beef up security for the Japanese whaling fleet, which left port under heavy guard this week.The money is part of about 500bn yen in “fisheries-related spending” green-lighted by parliament last month. Japan’s Fisheries Agency justified the decision by saying that “safer hunts” would ultimately help whaling towns along the coast to recover.”Nice publicity for ol’Nippon.

http://www.japanprobe.com James

Game over

Yet another person who didn’t read the original post or comprehend the statements by Sea Shepherd.

diverting millions of pounds tagged for the reconstruction of its tsunami-devastated coast

Diverting? Now there’s another example of the Western media adopting the narrative found in anti-whaling groups’ press releases. The Japanese Diet passed a 12.1-trillion-yen (155.6 billion dollars) supplementary budget for disaster relief – it included about 28 million dollars for an industry that was among those hurt by the disaster – the whaling industry.

To suggest that money is being “diverted” from where it is needed is silly. Tens of billions of dollars are being pumped into the relief efforts – and those efforts will include the support of various industries that suffered as a result of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear accident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hF1uWJ_9nQ
ponta

eatwhale a dit…
なかなか触れる機会のないドイツのニュースを翻訳してくださって、ありがとうございます。少し誤解（誤訳？）があると思うので、指摘させてください。

捕鯨船団の安全強化のために22億8千万円の予算が確保されたのは事実ですが、その原資は「震災用寄付金」や「地震と津波による災害復興のために寄せられていた義捐金」ではありません。復興基金（Hilfsgelder = Relief Fund）のための第三次補正予算12.1兆円は、国債の発行や各省庁の予算削減によって賄われます。
http://www.bb.mof.go.jp/server/2011/dlpdf/DL201121003.pdf

赤十字等に寄せられる寄付金の使途は、各団体が公開しています。もっとも規模の大きい赤十字に関しては、日本赤十字に直接寄せられた寄付金については全額が被災者に送られ、また海外の赤十字等経由の寄付金については被災して住居を失った方に家電セットを送るなどの赤十字の支援活動に使われています。
http://www.jrc.or.jp/oshirase/l3/Vcms3_00002202.html

Yoplait22

http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2011/12/09/japan-whaling-authorities-sue-environmental-activist-group/Aside from the animal-rights/brutality aspect, quasi-scientific ‘research’ and the ‘rights of the whalers’ aspects here, I just can’t believe Japan persists with whaling from a PR perspective. It’s severely denting their national reputation and ‘nation brand’. I’ve lost so much respect for the country I liked due to this silly endeavour. They’re shooting themselves in the foot.
Richard Burt

From wikipedia

“A professor of environmental studies in Japan wrote in his book that
Japan’s whale- modern commercial whaling bears little resemblance to the
small-scale subsistence whaling that, until the dawn of the 20th
century, was limited to certain coastal regions, and Japan’s
whale-eating culture was also very limited in scope and an invented
tradition, only lasting 20 years from the end of World War II to the
early 1960s to augment Japanese school lunch programs during the U.S.
occupation”

From my understanding of Japanese whaling history, most whaling up until the first decade of the 20th Century was small scale substance whaling in local communities, with ‘Juro Oka’ bringing technology from Norway at around this time to industrialize whaling, with large scale Southern Ocean whaling not starting until the 1930s.
This industrialised whaling seems quite different from what seems to be the more traditional taking of Baird’s beaked whales on the Boso
Peninsula, Wada, which has occured since 17th century and occurs to this day (66 whales taken annually).
If Industrial whaling in the Southern Ocean has been happening for roughly 80 years, can it be truly called ‘culturally significant (as opposed to local coastal whaling which seems to have strong cultural elements) .

If whale meat is so important to Japan why is there now apparently over 6000 tons in storage? From the the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries statistics: domestic whale meat consumption dropped from 230,000 tons in fiscal 1962 to 5,000 tons in fiscal 2008.
Apart from stubbornness, I wonder why the Japanese government persists with ongoing subsidies of an unprofitable hunt for a meat that is contaminated (pregnant women and children are advised not to eat it) and declining in popularity.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fe20100912rh.html

LOD

Japanese sure will be stubborn, when they believe they are forced to stop something by few to no persuading logical reasons.
It’s their choice and not other’s business whether to hunt whales or not, as long as it’s in international water. They even don’t have to oblige to the IWC rule if they choose to withdraw the membership.
And anyway, even if they stopped whaling in Southern Ocean and concentrate in local coastal whaling, Western media and activists will still criticize Japan hysterically. See “The Cove”.

Richard Burt

I think if they moved to local whaling it would take a lot of heat out
of the debate (from an Australian & NZ point of view anyway). And why don’t they just withdraw from the IWC? Scientific whaling isn’t
fooling anyone, everyone knows its a cover to enable the continuation of
whaling. So if whaling is so important to Japan, why bother with the IWC?

I haven’t seen the Cove, but I know of it.

Shawnji

All this bickering is really amazing. I’m kind of in awe about how passionate both sides get about it, but I think there are some things we can all agree on:

- This is a pretty big waste of taxpayer money that could be used for recovery procedures. Who needs that many vessels as an escort?

- Sea Shepherd is notorious for going about things in a way that completely undermines due process and no one should support their actions even if they are anti-whaling.

Myself; I’m torn. I think whales are pretty amazing creatures, and it certainly is sad that they have to die such miserable deaths. Then again, it’s sad that any form of life should have to die to satisfy another, yet I can’t really bring myself to be vegan. So, in the end, I can’t condemn one form of food over another.

Sometimes I think you have to accept that food culture just differs depending on country and it’s not immediately wrong just because we think “this animal is more intelligent than this animal”. I mean, imagine if a higher form of intelligence decided any human being with an IQ of 100 or less was totally fine for consumption, but everyone else wasn’t. How absurd is that?

I do however think that there should be more effort put into finding ways to hunt whales that are more “humane”, i.e. developing some kind of weapon that’s tipped with anesthetic or something (I’m in no way knowledgeable enough to give an “actual” idea, so cut me some slack here…). I think we can all agree, at the very least, that no living creature should have to suffer a painful death if it can be avoided; life in captivity / free in native environment points aside.

Anyway, there’s my two cents…
Jack

I like whales, with ginger and Ponzu.
Disgusted

With so much coverage by Paul Watson & the Sea Shephard about Japan’s whaling, why was the Faroe Islands in Denmark omitted. This is the annual killing of Caldron dolphins (pilot whales) by young people as a rite of passage into adulthood. Could you, Paul Watson, explain to me the difference ? http://www.chinasmack.com/2011/pictures/faroe-islands-whaling-photos-chinese-netizen-reactions.html

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