Whaling

Here's a great article on the Japanese position.

This article describes my stance on this issue as well. Currently the Japanese are hunting whales under the classification of research with approval from the International Whaling Commission. They are continuing to test for numbers in order to make a final decision on reopening commercial whaling. The Japanese are going about their whaling in an appropriate and responsible manner. There is no threat to the sustainability of the species they are hunting. The Minke whales are at "Lower Risk" status, and while the Fin whale is "Endangered," the Japanese fleet is only taking a planned 50 per year from a population estimate of 50,000.

The efforts being made by the Greenpeace ship near Antarctica are a waste of time and ideology. If Greenpeace were really concerned about the environment and the sustainability of our species through the preservation of foodstuffs they would be reallocating their energy to the issue of bluefin tuna depletion. Greenpeace has published a report on the increasingly dire situation but more needs to be done.

If I'm left scratching my head over Greenpeace, I'm fearful of groups like Sea Shepherd. Sea Shepherd also has a ship in the Southern Ocean, but this ship is not intended for protest only. It is there to seek and destroy Japanese whaling ships. The leader of this group, Paul Watson, has rammed ships in the past, and he is trying to do it again. These people value the lives of whales over the lives of humans, and they won't hesitate putting people in danger if they think it will help save the life of an animal.

Other groups that I've found on facebook and the internet are downright despicable, and I won't quote them here because they are unnecessary, illogical and offensive.