Japanese open fire on Sea Shepherd crew

[Geoff_H]

Yes...America is involved in that. That doesn't mean I'm saying that it's commonplace tradition, something we do every Saturday night

My point exactly.

Well done, go to the top of the class.

Let's agree with

"Japan is as involved with shark finning as American is with policemen beating up black men"

Deal?

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

My point exactly.

Well done, go to the top of the class.

Let's agree with

"Japan is as involved with shark finning as American is with policemen beating up black men"

Deal?

Problems related to your example (police brutality and racism) are huge in this country. They are practiced around every corner. I do not blame Japan as a country for being a country that hates sharks and wants all of them dead. Just like I don't blame the US as a country that hates all minorities and wants them all dead. It sounds to me like you think that I am trying to put every person of Japanese descent into the same barrel and I am not.

Japan's fishing industry is involved in shark-finning according to the evidence I have seen.

I am not trying to convince anyone that I hate Japan for this. Of course I don't! I want it clear that all I said in the beginning was that Japan is involved in shark-finning and I was told that I was wrong and that I did not see what I thought I saw in that video. I was told this by you if I remember right. I wanted to be sure that I was correct in my statement so I watched the video again and verified that what I remembered was, in fact, correct. In that video, there was recorded footage of a fishing vessel bearing the Japanese flag and Japanese characters painted on the ship, with crew slicing off shark fins and throwing the living sharks back into the water to drown. Once again, if you don't believe me, watch the video. I have named it a couple of times already.

 

[wardric]

I tought that was a good deal...

 

[Mr.X]

Hey Sb'ers...I like the discussion about the whales more than the back-and-forth about American civil rights. While there are parallels, I'd like to think that our internet musings may lead to some type of personal "action plan". We have had some folks initiate their own actions as a result of these discussion. I truly appreciate that!

Overall, there has been no one on this particular thread that appreciates the consumption of whale meat, or shark fin. Also, no one here would feel badly if this niche of the fishing business went extinct tomorrow. Given that aggregate feeling, the most vociferous discussions have been related to issues revolving around sovereignty, legitimacy and the right to use force.

My take, and by no means complete:

* No one likes to be told what to do;
* Many feel that violence begets violence;
* Many people feel that the IWC/puppet is a powerless organization;
* A sanctuary should be just that;
* Whale meat is now a dubious food resource;
* Whales have a special value for people vs. a food resource

For those folks who visit this thread, the take-away message is that most divers care about the environment, and that the best way to enact some change is to do something. The most valuable methods have been (for me):

• Educating those around you (least controversial)
• Supporting environmental organizations
• Pushing the politicians in your local jurisdictions to do something

Best,

X

 

[wardric]

I compare shark finning to killing elephants for only the ivory of their tusks and wasting the rest. Or to black bear hunting for only their gal bladders. These activities like many others similar are wastefull and unrespectfull of nature. However, if the animal is sustainable and every possible part of it will be used (for meat, leather, fur, etc.), I have no problem with such hunts since they are respectfull of nature. In fact, i'm even favorable to it.

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

I compare shark finning to killing elephants for only the ivory of their tusks and wasting the rest. Or to black bear hunting for only their gal bladders. These activities like many others similar are wastefull and unrespectfull of nature. However, if the animal is sustainable and every possible part of it will be used (for meat, leather, fur, etc.), I have no problem with such hunts since they are respectfull of nature. In fact, i'm even favorable to it.

I agree with this though I would add to your list;

Animals should be hunted and killed in a way that is as painless as possible with minimal suffering.

These animals should be hunted for necessity, not for cultural purposes. There are many here that agree that human life should be preserved and it is a far stretch from killing a whale. So, would you support cannibalism? Do you think that if every part of a human body is used that it's ok to hunt and eat them? Cannibalism once was a cultural activity but we don't have that around much anymore do we? Cultural aspect is not a good enough reason in my opinion.

 

[Geoff_H]

Cultural aspect is not a good enough reason in my opinion.

As long as it's other peoples culture right?

I put it to you that there is no need for you or your countrymen to eat beef, pork or chicken, and you could all survive just fine eating grain and a vegetarian diet.

Since you say the Japanese can't eat whale, does that give others the right to say you can't eat meat?

 

[D_B]

If so, than why the outrage when the northen Alaska natives used guns to hunt whales .. would a harpoon be better?
.. and if the species is at a sustainable level, who are we to decide that a culture can do, or is wrong to hunt them?

 

[wardric]

I agree with this though I would add to your list;

Animals should be hunted and killed in a way that is as painless as possible with minimal suffering.

I cannot disagree with that. It is the way I hunt and fish.

 

[Mr.X]

If so, than why the outrage when the northen Alaska natives used guns to hunt whales .. would a harpoon be better?
.. and if the species is at a sustainable level, who are we to decide that a culture can do, or is wrong to hunt them?

I think if "traditional" hunting is part of the game...use traditional weapons. It's more or less about preserving culture?

That being said, Native populations in the US have special provisions that give them the right to harvest. Their annual take is minimal, and typically the elders of the villages are pretty savvy when it comes to the political and environmental effects of their subsistence way of living.


X