What the hell is going on?

[Jules]

I was told by someone else who had had it that it was delicious, a bit like steak but really tender.
Never tried it myself
jules

[Norseman]

<font color='#0000FF'>Warning: This post, though not meant for anyone in particular, will pi55 some people off. So be it.

Being a Norwegian I thought I'd jump in give you good people a face to your target...

I don't eat whale normally, but it does taste good. I don't kill whales. I do go hunting for grouse and moose, though I'm a terrible shot so lately I've left that to others.

Whales are intelligent so we shouldn't kill them? COME ON!
They're animals. If we shouldn't kill whales then we shouldn't kill anything else for food.
We're on top of the food chain. We need meat for protein. Most of us are not content eating tofu and soy sausages.

Saying that the Norwegians or the Japanese are wrong is hypcritical and shows a double moral. Especially coming from anybody that eats meat and lives in the EU. And you all know why.

Chicken the size of Turkey (yes, the country) and livestock unable to support themselves due to body weight. That's okay?

Sorry peeps. Your outrage should be directed at the ones that raise animals for food in an unhealthy and downright terrible manner, not to people that swiftly and effectively as can be kill a number of wild animals in their natural habitat.

We kill a few whales each year, out of a sustainable stock. Like we kill fish and we kill moose. And pigs. And cows. And chicken.

Intelligence my arse. &nbsp;

With otherwise high regards,

Kyrre
Not ducking for cover.

[DanG]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]killer whales playing catch with seals.

Thats a good one, few creatures get enjoyment out of the suffering of others, I can think of another one though.

I guess such a topic is always going to provoke strong responses as everyone has such different opinions on it. &nbsp;Personally I have no problem with eating cows and sheep that are free range and basically bred for consumption, I would definately put them in the stupid animal catagory and don't think they really notice the difference between big field with fences and just in just big field.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]There are people who are quite happy to eat dog, but I don't know about cats

Yes in places like Korea they will eat both but it doesn't mean its a good thing and they are generally killed in a far from humane way. &nbsp;They don't waste much though, they highly prize a lot of the bits we wouldn't even consider eating.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that there are certain animals that shouldn't really be eaten and in this day and age - and in developed countries I don't think we should be eating them.
I don't like eating that soy junk but there are plenty of meats out there from animals that are bred for consumption and live and die in a humane manner.
The Japanese whaling fleets helped them out of a serious time when they would have had a lot of starvation otherwise but now a lot of thier younger generation will not eat whale. &nbsp;This in no way excuses the fact that some of them still insist on going out and killing whales but at least now there is some oposition in that country to whaling and they even have protests now.

[Mary]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (John Gulliver @ Sep. 15 2003,21:52)]The pilot whale hunt in the Faroes is a tradition that goes back to viking times.

as it also used to be in orkney and shetland yet they have managed to put it behind them.

[LesleySS]

I'm sorry I started this one but to feedback and clarify my feelings...

In fairness I'd never heard of this whale hunt before and so was just a little shocked at the pictures of lots of dead whales, blood in the sea and kids playing hopscotch on fresh whale carcasses.

Having read all your thoughts, I appreciate that it's a tradition and nothing compared to Japan et al - I wasn't actually trying to compare it or say it is the worst thing to happen in the world ever, I was just a little perturbed by the pics as generally, and more so as a diver, I feel we should be leaving what is in the sea, in the sea (it's my opionion and I'm not one to force it upon others!!).

For the record:

I haven't eaten whale, dog or cat and don't intend to as I am a fussy eater (I have however tried crocodile and it tasted like tough chicken and so I won't be going there again).

I do eat chickens and would happily kill them for food.

I would defend myself against any animal attacking me, including the Dodo, T-Rex, Giant Panda, Siberian White Tigers, Cod and Sparrows.

I am not an animal rights activist, I am just someone who didn't like a photo in the paper yesterday.

[Lou]

I am biting my tongue so hard it's almost bleeding!!!

I.....will......resist...........

Lou

p.s. &nbsp;Activist is too strong a word for the amount I do, but I have been on the odd protest!!!

[Norseman]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (LesleySS @ Sep. 16 2003,13:45)]I'm sorry I started this one but to feedback and clarify my feelings...

<font color='#0000FF'>Hey, don't be sorry. &nbsp;

We come here to discuss stuff, don't we?

You have every right to feel bad when you react to a picture in the newspaper or footage on telly. You are entitled to your opinion.

Nevertheless, I believe what several of us have tried to say is that there are different opinions as to what's right and what's wrong. Very often the feelings are culturally induced.

In my view the problem is exactly that: We bring feelings into this, and brand people without hesitation based on the cuteness of the animal involved.

Being from &quot;the other side&quot; I get rather aggrevated when people judge our cultural ways based on their feelings rather than their intellect. That goes not only for the whale killing, but also when it comes to underwater- or overland hunting. For some people reaping nature's surplus is wrong while for others it is an inherited right and necessity. Executed with a general concern for the environment and sustainability of the species I see nothing wrong with hunting.

An example: In Norway (and Sweden) there is now so much moose that in some areas they have problems with &quot;gangs&quot; of moose invading smaller communities in the winter, rummaging through the gardens and parks looking for food. Why? Because most of the carnivorous threat to the Moose was killed off through the last centuries. We've only got a handful of Wolves and Bears left. In order to keep the Moose at a sustainable level we in Norway have to shoot off about 40000 moose every year. Sustainable? Yes, because if we don't kill them we'll end up with too many. They eat the crops and new pine forests. They end up eating the &quot;wrong&quot; food (like pine and spruce shots) and in the end starve to death.
The number of moose has to be controlled.

40.000 moose is a lot of food. An easy estimate would give you about 4000 tons of very healthy meat. That's 4 million kilos. Double that if you still want to talk pounds. And each kilo is worth about 5 quid. That is a lot of money.

Still people argue against hunting, even here in Norway.

A bit OT in regards to the pilot whales, I agree, but I just wanted to show that hunting for food has many sides to it.
Pilot whale killing? It sounds to me like it's a bloody mess but if it all ends up in the pot then the means are justified.

Now fox hunting, on the other hand... &nbsp;

Kyrre

[Norseman]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Lou @ Sep. 16 2003,14:32)]I am biting my tongue so hard it's almost bleeding!!!

I.....will......resist...........

Lou

<font color='#0000FF'>Go on, you know you want to.. &nbsp;

Giz your best shot, Lou.

Kyrre
(Who will go orca-snorkling this October if all goes well. Encircling the weak ones &nbsp; )

[Finless]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Mdemon @ Sep. 15 2003,22:04)]Anyone know what whale tastes like?

Chicken.

[John Gulliver]

But you have to admit, Kyrre, that Norway and Japan are pretty well on their own in the international community as regards your attitude to hunting whales (apart from a few third-world countries that let themselves be bribed by the Japanese). I am reminded of the proud mother who attended a parade and said &quot;My son was the only one in step&quot;.
I won't even bother to comment on the &quot;hunting for scientific research purposes&quot; angle. Talk about hypocrisy!!!!
I know whale hunting us very much part of your local culture in northern Norway but what's going to happen to that culture when you've wiped them all out? It's true that elks and deer have to be culled these days as we killed almost all their natural predators a century or more ago but that doesn't apply to whales. Leave them be! You don't need the meat. Most of it goes to Japan anyway, I believe.