U.S. Leads New Bid to Phase Out Whale Hunting

[ClarkUSA]

Source: New York Times

WASHINGTON — The United States is leading an effort by a handful of antiwhaling nations to broker an agreement that would limit and ultimately end whale hunting by Japan, Norway and Iceland, according to people involved with the negotiations.

The compromise deal, which has generated intense controversy within the 88-nation International Whaling Commission and among antiwhaling activists, would allow the three whaling countries to continue hunting whales for the next 10 years, although in reduced numbers.

In exchange, the whaling nations — which have long exploited loopholes in an international treaty that aims to preserve the marine mammals — would agree to stricter monitoring of their operations, including the placing of tracking devices and international monitors on all whaling ships and participation in a whale DNA registry to track global trade in whale products.

Officials involved in the negotiations expressed tentative hope that they could reach an agreement in coming weeks...

“This is one of the toughest negotiations I’ve been involved in in 38 years,” said Cristián Maquieira, the veteran Chilean diplomat who is the chairman of the commission. “If this initiative fails now, it means going back to years of acrimony.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/science/earth/15whale.html?hp

[xchrom]

1. Hopefully. A thing I can believe in. Nt

[Judi Lynn]

2. Very decent position, the only moral one to take on this issue. Recommend. n/t

[Flaxbee]

3. Great news. Now let's get our own Navy to quit using that damn sonar...

and the countries of the world to back off on killing sharks and overfishing, and perhaps our oceans could be a safe place for marine life once again.

I very sincerely applaud these efforts, though. One step at a time, I guess.

[defendandprotect]

4. Good . . . hope they follow thru --

[jimmil]

5. Is there......

An actual need for whale products? Back in the 1950s the justification was that whale oil is the finest grade of oil there is and some industries used it for lubrication that no other oil would work. I'm sure that one has been passed. So now they are killing whales for research. What kind of research is being done that man must kill whales? I don't know. I wish someone would enlighten me if there is indeed the need to kill for research.

[ClarkUSA]

6. The Japanese gov't. are liars who use the euphemism "research" to describe their whaling for meat.

Even though there is no great demand in their country or others for whale meat, the Japanese government insists on maintaining their "tradition". Norway and Iceland use the same lame-ass "tradition" argument even though there is no profitable world or domestic market in whale meat.

[jorgebob28]

11. We Hunt Endangered Whales, Too

In case you don't know, we Americans hunt endangered whales for tradition, too. Whales don't care about our traditions and the "whale-caring" is more about our selfish egos than the whale's well-being. I am personally not against hunting Minke whales whose populations have rebounded very well. However, endangered species should be protected. For those who claim that whales should be protected because of their intelligence, isn't it discriminatory to suggest that "dumber" creatures are OK to kill over smarter ones? Pigs are damn smart but unfortunately they make excellent sausage. Even if the populations of the presently endangered species rebounded, the anti-whaling forces will still be against whaling because they've invested too much emotion into the whale as their symbol, they can't let it go.

Do you really know that there's no demand for whale meat in Japan or is it what you read about in some anti-whaling screed? Usually older people eat whale in Japan, the young consider it unfashionable but then they eat a lot less "Japanese" food than their elders, anyways.

We Americans need to clean up our own backsides before pointing our fingers at others.

[flvegan]

12. The irony of invoking ego in your post

considering the rest of it...

:rofl:

[ClarkUSA]

14. How many endangered whales did "we Americans" hunt last year?

<<Pigs are damn smart but unfortunately they make excellent sausage. Even if the populations of the presently endangered species rebounded, the anti-whaling forces will still be against whaling because they've invested too much emotion into the whale as their symbol, they can't let it go.>>

First, I don't eat pork. Second, the anti-whaling forces are much more pragmatic than you've given them credit for, as evidenced by the proposal they've offered in the OP. Have you even read the article before commenting?

<<Do you really know that there's no demand for whale meat in Japan or is it what you read about in some anti-whaling screed?>>

I didn't say there was "no demand for whale meat". Go back and read what I said before making further comment.

<<We Americans need to clean up our own backsides before pointing our fingers at others.>>

We have. We are not countries that lie about "research" and exploit loopholes in international treaties in order to carry on commercial hunting of whales, unlike Japan, Norway, and Iceland.

[jmowreader]

9. I read Japan's explanation for their "research"

They claim (and I tend to believe this claim) they're trying to prove to the whaling regulatory bodies that a sustainable commercial whale harvest can be conducted.

IOW "we plan to kill whales and eat them, and that is what our research is all about." Which we figured out all along.

Japan's biggest problem is Japan itself--it's an island in the ocean that hasn't got enough arable land to support the people living on it. Any nation that can't even feed itself is at the mercy of the world, which Japan doesn't want to be, so they have three basic choices here: strip the ocean of finfish, go to war against a country that has land, or hunt whales. There's got to be a solution to this; the problem is, no one knows what it is yet. Just saying to Japan, "no more whaling," is no solution. I mean, look at what Reagan did to them. Reagan convinced them to give up whaling in exchange for access to the Alaskan fishery. The next year, after Japan started working the fishery, the American boat captains got pissed and got the Alaskan fishery closed to non-US boats. Hence the research whaling.

[ClarkUSA]

15. JapanToday.com 4/15/10: "Illegal whale meat traded from Japan to U.S., S Korea: study"

<<They claim (and I tend to believe this claim) they're trying to prove to the whaling regulatory bodies that a sustainable commercial whale harvest can be conducted.>>

Their claims are full of shit:

Illegal whale meat traded from Japan to U.S., S Korea: study
http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/illegal-whale-meat-traded-from-japan-to-us-s-korea-study

New Study Links Endangered Whale Meat With Japan, Possible Illegal Trading
http://www.greenfudge.org/2010/04/14/new-study-links-endangered-whale-meat-with-japan-possible-illegal-trading/

"The United States is opposed to commercial whaling and lethal scientific research whaling, as expressed in a statement by the U.S. State Department, which says, "The United States is committed to advancing the global conservation and management of large whale populations through science-based policies and leadership in the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

"The United States continues to view the commercial whaling moratorium as a necessary conservation measure and believes that lethal scientific whaling is unnecessary in modern whale conservation management," the State Department says."

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2009/2009-11-12-01.asp

<<Japan's biggest problem is Japan itself--it's an island in the ocean that hasn't got enough arable land to support the people living on it.>>

Then why is Britain an anti-whaling nation? This rationalization defies logic, as there are many island nations much poorer than Japan, Norway, and Iceland that do not whale. In fact, these three whaling nations are among the top ten wealthiest nations on earth.

[Yeahyeah]

7. Fuck those countries.

[Submariner]

8. Good start Mr. President....now let's boycott Japan goods

we need to hurt Japan's pocketbook to make them stop....and let's add Bluefin tuna to the list right behind Cetaceans.

Our sea-life is at the precipice NOW.

[Bette Noir]

10. I have my fingers crossed.

Whaling is causing the collapse of big blocks of Pacific ecosystem. The loss of the great whales has led to drops of 90% in the numbers of seals, sea lions, and even otters, as orcas turn to smaller, less-nutritious prey in their absence. Sorry, I don't have a link-- this is what I remember from a lecture from last year, given by a marine biologist to the marine conservation organization I work with.

[flvegan]

13. I repeat myself: Spineless bunch of shits.

And in 10 years? We'll get the same "fuck you" we get from these asshole whaling nations. Fuck them.

Send the whaling vessels to the bottom, a la the Hvalur 6 and 7.

What a beautiful sight...