Cheers all,

Okay, I am just catching this issue in the news. It seems that under the guise of research Japanese vessels are hunting whales in waters around Australia, is that right?

Just recently an activist vessel and one of these Japanese 'research' vessel collided and people are debating whether or not the Japanese vessel was aiming for the Australian vessel.

I am trying to understand this better for it seems like the Japanese goverenment is defending the 'researchers'. Why? That is the part I am not understanding. Why endanger relations with another country over a luxury food? I remember most Japanese stating a few years back that they didn't want whaling occuring in their waters any more, is my memory wrong? So, the Japanese goverenment is allowing this issue to get this problematic just for luxury food? Can any one here provide some enlightening details to this issue for me? Is there more to this that mets the eye?

I hope I don't sound too insenstive but the Asian love for eating strange and endangered animals is something that I have little patience for. Killing tiger to eat their penises so that a man can be better in bed is mind boggling. Is there some mystic property to eating whale meat as well?

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News...apanese-whalers

Interestingly the Japanese seem to have prevented koala culls in Australia through online campaigns directed at stopping Japanese tourism in retaliation.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Global-News...apanese-whalers

Yup, that's the incident that I was referring to.

Interestingly the Japanese seem to have prevented koala culls in Australia through online campaigns directed at stopping Japanese tourism in retaliation.

Really? So, this is boiling down to people defending which animals they find cuter, eh? Whales aren't cute enough to save but koalas are?

I saw footage from the Japanese boat and from Sea Shepherd, the activist mother ship. The Ady Gill was idling, but then accelerated forward into the collision course at the last moment.

Although I agree that protected species should be actively protected, sometimes these activists invite their own demise. There was an entire doco series on the Sea Shepherd. The activists do indeed ove-dramatise events and injuries. Nonetheless, they have a noble cause.

It is a pity that both NZ and Australia do not do anything. But then, in international waters, who has jurisdiction?

I saw footage from the Japanese boat and from Sea Shepherd, the activist mother ship. The Ady Gill was idling, but then accelerated forward into the collision course at the last moment.

Although I agree that protected species should be actively protected, sometimes these activists invite their own demise. There was an entire doco series on the Sea Shepherd. The activists do indeed ove-dramatise events and injuries. Nonetheless, they have a noble cause.

It is a pity that both NZ and Australia do not do anything. But then, in international waters, who has jurisdiction?

Yes, I read one report that Sea Shepherd vessels would always try to put themselves inbetween the whales and the Japanese vessels. I could only think that if you keep getting that close some accident is bound to happen. I am also not surpirsed that they would ram the larger vessel and scream foul, cheap trick but sometimes works.

I saw an entirely different collision in the several pieces of video I have watched.

The small boat was stationary, the Japanese ship lurched starboard just before it would have passed close by and ripped off the bow of the boat. A deliberate act.

Then, in contravention of all rules of the sea, the Japanese ignored distress calls from the stricken vessel and failed to offer assistance.

The greenies don't play by the rules either. After starting to tow the wreck to the nearest port they decided it would take a second boat away from it's task of harrassing the whaling fleet for too long, so they abandoned the tow. They incorrectly reported the boat had sunk, when in fact it is still floating now, and is a possible danger to shipping.

Incidently, the ship involved in the collision wasn't a whaler, but a special fast security vessel, who's sole job is to harrass the greenies.

I don't like the Japanese killing whales at all, but I do understand that they resent the rest of the world trying to change their traditions.

The truth is if someone tried to forbid Brits from eating bangers and mash or Americans from eating hamburgers they would carpet bomb them with napalm.

I don't like the Japanese killing whales at all, but I do understand that they resent the rest of the world trying to change their traditions.

The truth is if someone tried to forbid Brits from eating bangers and mash or Americans from eating hamburgers they would carpet bomb them with napalm.

Did Viet Nam try to stop Americans from eating hamburgers? I always wondered what prompted that particular foray.

Seriously though, if beef cattle were an endangered species, wouldn't it be the best thing to curtail the hamburger habit? Or start making burgers from something else more abundant.

Ham?

Too salty.

I think they are named after the city.

We have something here known as a "mall hotdog".

They seem to be produced virtually meat free, maybe they could do the same with a burger.

Whale flavoured tofu for the Japanese.....and lets not forget the Norwegians in this whale topic.

I believe that tofu flavoured whale meat is manufactured in Japan so people who don't like whale can eat it in protest against anti-whaling protests.

It should be simple enough to reverse the process.

I don't like the Japanese killing whales at all, but I do understand that they resent the rest of the world trying to change their traditions.

The truth is if someone tried to forbid Brits from eating bangers and mash or Americans from eating hamburgers they would carpet bomb them with napalm.

Did Viet Nam try to stop Americans from eating hamburgers? I always wondered what prompted that particular foray.

Google 'Domino Theory" for insight into that.

I don't like the Japanese killing whales at all, but I do understand that they resent the rest of the world trying to change their traditions.

The truth is if someone tried to forbid Brits from eating bangers and mash or Americans from eating hamburgers they would carpet bomb them with napalm.

Did Viet Nam try to stop Americans from eating hamburgers? I always wondered what prompted that particular foray.

Google 'Domino Theory" for insight into that.

That proved a 'good' reason to, right?

I saw an entirely different collision in the several pieces of video I have watched.

The small boat was stationary, the Japanese ship lurched starboard just before it would have passed close by and ripped off the bow of the boat. A deliberate act.

Then, in contravention of all rules of the sea, the Japanese ignored distress calls from the stricken vessel and failed to offer assistance.

The greenies don't play by the rules either. After starting to tow the wreck to the nearest port they decided it would take a second boat away from it's task of harrassing the whaling fleet for too long, so they abandoned the tow. They incorrectly reported the boat had sunk, when in fact it is still floating now, and is a possible danger to shipping.

Incidently, the ship involved in the collision wasn't a whaler, but a special fast security vessel, who's sole job is to harrass the greenies.

..really ? That's how it was reported also big time in Europe; that the Ady Gil sank.

But it was NOT reported that the boat is still floating and did not sink...so everyone has (still) the impression that the boat sank.

Coming back to the OP's question:

I think the Japanese indeed catch/kill the whales for luxury food-reasons. not a necessity; how sad

Let's hope it will stop sooner or later and that the whale population can grow again...if it's not too late.

LaoPo

:D Oh My God........they did it deliberately and I didn't see these images before;thank God nobody was killed.

What an absurd manoeuvre by that Japanese ship. They should be brought to justice.

This is like A Goliath smashing a baby...

LaoPo

We should keep in mind that minke whales are not endangered and that the Japanese have a concession from the moratorium on whale hunting to cull 900 per year. When they kill up to 900 minkes, they are not doing anything illegal.