Russia captures Orcas for displaying during the Sochi olympic games

[Tigerman]

...
Anyway, I've had my weekly dose of recreational outrage now, so I think I'll return to our regularly scheduled Scubaboard program. Should we use wetsuits or drysuits for diving with orcas, what number of logged dives do you need to be able to use a DS without dying and should we use a BP/W or a poodle jacket?

The answer to all of the above is... 42

 

[Foxfish]

No matter what one chooses to have an opinion on, it's always possible to find something more atrocious, more worthy of outrage. If something isn't as atrocious as, say, Pol Pot's genocide or the mass killings in Rwanda, may it not still be worthy of a little bit of recreational outrage? Does the fact that Nike's use of sweatshops in the far East isn't quite as bad as the Holocaust preclude me from choosing to not buy Nike sneakers? I'm also against the production of fox and mink fur and large-scale commercial farming of chickens, since it - in my opinion - is animal cruelty, should I handwave that opinion away since the practice isn't as atrocious as the war crimes in Darfur?


By incarcerating wild, intelligent animals (and, making it somewhat relevant to this board, marine animals) for no good reason at all, the Russian authorities again show that their ethical standards are firmly rooted in the early 20th century, just as with their policy on LGBT people. Fukcers.

Anyway, I've had my weekly dose of recreational outrage now, so I think I'll return to our regularly scheduled Scubaboard program. Should we use wetsuits or drysuits for diving with orcas, what number of logged dives do you need to be able to use a DS without dying and should we use a BP/W or a poodle jacket?

Fair comment. I just get tired of the greenie hysteria in the media. How is keeping killer whales in captivity a lot different to any other animal? I prefer to see them in the wild. At least the Japanese only hunt wild whales and don't try to breed in captivity for local consumption. :cool2:

As to gear for diving with killer whales, the greenies over here have saboutaged our environmental laws. Here is an extract from the government department on such matters:

Whale watchers are urged to be alert and watch for whales at all times and not approach closer than 100m to any whale or 50m to any dolphin when in a boat. Limits also apply to people in the water and overflying aircraft.


Under the agreed national whale watching guidelines which are enforced under state and commonwealth environment laws the caution zone for vessels is the area within 300m of a whale and 150m of a dolphin. No more than three vessels are allowed within the caution zone at any one time and vessels should operate at no-wake speeds within this zone.

Here is the penalty:

Under national environment law penalties for harassing, chasing or herding whales can carry a fine of up to $110,000 and or two years imprisonment. Penalties also apply under the relevant state legislation.


Watching you, watching whales: keep your distance - media release 16 September 2011

In other words, doesn't matter what gear you've got, you're not supposed to get close to whales or dolphins. They've even got a dob in your neighbour number and email.

Of course most people ignore those rules. The whales and dolphins will often swim up to your boat.

 

[Tigerman]

I think someone need to tell the wales and dolphins about those laws, cause they are more than willing to come up close and personal to say hi both to boats and divers..

 

[Storker]

How is keeping killer whales in captivity a lot different to any other animal?

Not much, provided we're speaking of animals with roughly similar mental capacities. Myself, I believe that predators generally are more intelligent than grazing animals, so I have less scruples with keeping, say, a deer or a minke whale in captivity than a fox or an orca.

BTW, I prefer to call them "orcas", since I think "killer whale" carries too many unpleasant connotations. Although I wouldn't bet my life on them apologizing profusely and spitting me out if they mistook me for a seal or a largish propoise...

Here is an extract from the government department on such matters:

Whale watchers are urged to be alert and watch for whales at all times and not approach closer than 100m to any whale or 50m to any dolphin when in a boat. Limits also apply to people in the water and overflying aircraft.


Under the agreed national whale watching guidelines which are enforced under state and commonwealth environment laws the caution zone for vessels is the area within 300m of a whale and 150m of a dolphin. No more than three vessels are allowed within the caution zone at any one time and vessels should operate at no-wake speeds within this zone.

A few years ago, a couple of guys not far from here had an experience which most probably would've required me to change into some clean underwear if I had been there:

In a small, open boat, they encountered a pack of young orca bulls. And as we know, young males of any species like to f*** around and play havoc. So, the guys in the boat had the dubious pleasure of seeing one orca dorsal fin after the other approaching their boat at high speed, only to submerge fractions of a second before the animal crashed into the boat, and then to surface again on the other side of the boat.

Obviously, those whales hadn't read your laws...

 

[Tigerman]

Heres an example of the willfull disregard whales have for such laws
Her flørter knølhvalen med Tine (30) - VG Nett om Dyrene
She says he was there for over an hour, circeling their boat..

 

[Centrals]

And the species of whales hunted in Norway is NOT classed as endangered...

And so are cat and dog!!!

---------- Post added January 20th, 2014 at 09:15 AM ----------

Uh, yes, I know. What's your point?

There is no such thing as aquarium or zoo in Norway.

---------- Post added January 20th, 2014 at 09:23 AM ----------

It'd been more humane to kill the animals and serve them up as burgers...

No need to fed etc etc. as well!!
The market for orca's meat is pretty small otherwise breed them and export them like salmon. And there is no need to add any chemical dye so to turn the meat to pink in colour. Very humane.

 

[Storker]

There is no such thing as aquarium or zoo in Norway.

Ah, I see. Good to know. I guess I must have been hallucinating when I was in Ålesund, then. And this website is a fake, I guess.

But to repeat myself: what's your point?