Today was a good day for Japan's dolphins

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Hey guys...wouldn't it be effective to organize a massive media campaign in Japan on the mercury levels in whale and dolphin meat. Get some "Japanese Celebrities" to get behind this. If you can kill the demand at the market, that will put a stop to these killings.

Lock Washer

Easy to say it dude. Hard to make it happen. Been there.

X
 
What I don't understand is, if non-Japanese are aware of the problem levels of Mercury in these creatures, how is it that the Japanese aren't aware of it. This isn't Communist North Korea we are talking about but a technologically advanced country. The Japanese have internet access, no? Isn't this type of meat expensive? Or is it the poorer folk we can't reach? Are they in denial? Do they think we are making this up? Can't we all just start talking about it on sport forums, international meeting areas, anywhere Japanese may see or hear it mentioned, basically everywhere on the internet till they start to get it? What part of this am I missing?
One other thing, I read that women in Japan our now having trouble conceiving due to toxins in the "fish" they are eating? Has this really been documented, because that seems to be something else that needs to be publicized.
 
I don't think it's a matter of the Japanese being ignorant about the levels of mercury so much as it is an ingrained part of their culture. Maybe not eating dolphins, (that really is quite rare), but just eating seafood in general. Japanese typically eat seafood with every meal and have done so for a couple of generations now. Before that, poverty would have prevented them from eating it with every meal, but it has still been their primary protein source for thousands of years and there's not a darn thing that's going to change that. It would be like telling Americans that beef and pork are loaded with cholesterol and will eventually kill you. Like the Japanese, we know our diet's not perfect, but most of us aren't going to stop eating steak or bacon.

At least the Japanese can look at the numerous health benefits of their high fish diet.
 
Neither dolphin nor whale is a common part of the Japanese diet, that is why there is little coverage of any mercury levels.

Most people in Japan wouldn't see a difference between a farmer killing wolves that prey on sheep and a fisherman killing dolphins that prey on fish. Both are sentient hunters at the top of their food chain hurting the livelihood of humans.
 
Hey talking about dolphin slaughtering in Japan...watch `the cove´..very revealing!!!!
 
I get that fish is a huge part of the Japanese diet and that certain fish contain higher levels of Mercury than others, like Tuna. What I didn't get was what the Japanese weren't being told. My first thought when I found out about the cove slaughterings was the "wolf" issue as was mentioned above. Well that wasn't my first thought, bastards was, but I get the competition thing.

Anyone got info about fish consumption causing conceiving and fetal issues in Japan?

m.wolf.rs, agreed we need to see The Cove.
 
Given the huge life expectancy differential between Japanese and Americans, I really can't see a big push to claim that the Japanese diet is less healthy than the American diet.

There would be a strong body of evidence that supported the thesis that the average American consumes more, is less healthy and wrecks the planet a lot more than his or her average Japanese counterpart.

I bet nobody is willing to tackle this head-on though. Much easier to watch a film and get worked up about a triviality than confront the naked truth about profligate lifestyles head on....
 
My understanding is that with the exception of certain fishes, (swordfish, shark, etc...), the health benefits of eating fish far exceed the risks from mercury. They've directly tied omega3 fatty acids to lowered risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer and have also linked fish consumption to higher intelligence scores particularly when consumed by pregnant women and children.

I really doubt that the low birth rate in Japan has anything at all to do with mercury poisoning. Japan is a very crowded country with a very high cost of living. It's definitely not the kind of place you'd choose to raise a large family. People there are living in small apartments, driving small cars and paying high prices for food and just about everything else. They're just not in any position to have more than one or two kids max.

The Japanese used to be exposed to MUCH worse pollution than they are today. 40 years ago Tokyo police had to wear oxygen masks to direct traffic and Chisso corp. was still dumping mercury into Minamata bay. Despite that they had a much higher birth rate back then.
 
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