There is no humane way to kill a whale at sea.

[Mark Chase]

Originally Posted by Lou

This isn't a romantic image of local fishermen, scraping a living on their doorstep int he traditional manner...

Hummmmm so its OK if they use wooden sailing boats but not modern equipment.

There are probably 50+ men on that boat earning a living. I personaly didnt have an romantic notions of what is neaded to comercialy fish for a 10m long mamal.

The other isues raised take me back to my first point about sustainabuility. I dont beleive whale stocks generaly are sustainable with comercial fishing, polution global warming etc taken into account. If Minkysd are sustainable fine limmit the fishing to a specific number single species lift on the ban.

ATB

Mark Chase

[Lou]

Originally Posted by Mark Chase

Hummmmm so its OK if they use wooden sailing boats but not modern equipment.

There are probably 50+ men on that boat earning a living. I personaly didnt have an romantic notions of what is neaded to comercialy fish for a 10m long mamal.

The other isues raised take me back to my first point about sustainabuility. I dont beleive whale stocks generaly are sustainable with comercial fishing, polution global warming etc taken into account. If Minkysd are sustainable fine limmit the fishing to a specific number single species lift on the ban.

ATB

Mark Chase

No, Mark, you were the ones that suggested it was being done to sustain a way of life or to protect fish stocks. Not I. I was merely pointing out the scale of the operation.

As for lifting the ban - that links to the point on the Southern Ocean sanctuary. the Japanese should not be even "scientific whaling" there, but they do. They shouldn't be using the whales caught for food, but they do. they shouldn't be commercially dealing in whale meant, but they do and so do the Norwegians. Under CITES, I belive, the export of whale meat is not allowed but there have been cargoes of whale meat caught by Norway bound for the far east.

If they cannot stick to "the rules" now, what makes you think that lifting any ban will result in them only catching what they are allowed? And once the ban is lifted you end up with the quota problem,a nd the same difficulties as we see in Europe over the fishereis quotas.

Finally, lifting any ban then comes to my final point in the previous post - what is the correct "limit" to put on them? We have no idea at all. We managed to almost hunt out whales once before, using limits and quotas. We now have global changes tot he marine eco-system coming about through global warning and you think that suddenly we will be able to assess and agree ona sustainable limit? That there won't be th push that is already happening for the larger whales too? That limits will be stuck to and not landed illegally or renamed? Balls!

[louigi]

Theri is absolutly no F******* good reason any way to do it and it is now time that we made a concerted effort to bankrupt these countries who persist in carry ing out this henous crime.

Fur coats look better on the animals they where ment to be covering in the first place and citations look better in the sea than on laborortry tables or in fish shops. We can do it if as a whole world we stop buying goods made in these countries.

[Owenter]

Originally Posted by louigi

Theri is absolutly no F******* good reason any way to do it and it is now time that we made a concerted effort to bankrupt these countries who persist in carry ing out this henous crime.

Fur coats look better on the animals they where ment to be covering in the first place and citations look better in the sea than on laborortry tables or in fish shops. We can do it if as a whole world we stop buying goods made in these countries.

Bankrupt Norway? Got any idea? It has huge oil and gas reserves and is sitting on it "Oil Fun" of around 130 BILLION pounds. And then you want to bankrupt Japan aswell.

OK, go for it, fill yer boots. Let's her some answers to possibly the daftest solution yet, even if it was in a rant!

[milldog]

personal opinion is that if japan pull out of the agreement which they will do, they can do what they want, so no amount of raving on will stop this. look at Spanish fishing boats they over fish, in our waters what do we do nothing; if our fishing boat catches a fish that is the wrong type even if its dead they still have to throw it over the side or face prosecution here.

what I'm saying is if the governments of that country think its fine to fish for whales, over fish waters or kill bears, minks etc for fur then thats what will happen. there was a case a few years ago when the English navy ship confiscated the Spanish trawler, after the Spanish government lodged there complaints, the boat was released and the following week they were back fishing.

as for stopping people buying items from these countries wake up and smell the coffee, there is to much money involved with products that we use and need because we don't produce these ourselves. so that theory's FU Ked

as for humane killing is a mouse/rat traps humane and who are we to kill these animals over a whale. if Europe cant even prosecute a country dictator for mass genocide of a community what chance if any does the whaling community have with little or no country support. life is full of disappointments get used to it