Whale War
By Dyske January 6th, 2010
I’ve been living in the US for 25 years now, so I barely feel that I’m Japanese, and it’s rare these days for me to feel concerned about what the Japanese do. But this one caught my attention this morning. Apparently the Japanese are still hunting whales and the activists are still fighting them. I actually had no idea; I thought this conflict ended years ago.
This is a tricky issue and I can see the arguments of both sides. Whale is an easy target to pick for animal activists because not many cultures consume them. In other words, it’s fightable, especially because it can be attacked as a national problem. On the other hand, fighting the killing of cows couldn’t be framed as such. Shaming a nation is much more effective than trying to shame the whole human race.
But ultimately, the moral arguments or rationales used by both sides don’t concern me much. What does concern me is that this conflict could become self-perpetuating, like the way the conflict in the Middle East has become. Just as whaling is a career in Japan, anti-whaling activism has becomes a career too because it’s been going on for so long. Watching this video made me realize how much of a career it has become. Once we spend decades of our lives doing something, we can’t help but have a vested interest in continuing it forever because our sense of self-worth is deeply tied to what we do.
To make the matters even worth, both sides are becoming increasingly more emotional and bitter towards one another, and they are both vengeful and selfrighteous too. The wounds are getting deeper and deeper on both sides, and the deeper the wound, the longer it lasts. This whale war will soon be an industry (if it’s not already), like the war in the Middle East is an industry with many businesses depending on it.
Paige says:
January 11th, 2010 at 10:21 pmI just saw an episode of South Park about this. Heehee.
The episode points out the hypocrisy in the anti-whale activism at the very end, you said something about it perfectly, “Whale is an easy target to pick for animal activists because not many cultures consume them”.
It always befuddled me as to why some people seem to care so much about one species of animal (for example, whale) and not at all about others who go through cruelty which is far worse and far more vast.
I hope some people who see the Japanese whalers as heartless or cruel can read this with an open mind so that they can see another side to the situation.
It continues to sadden me that we all just can’t get along.
Maybe I’m just naive.
I love the website, by the way…
Gus from Venezuela says:
January 14th, 2010 at 6:48 pm“On the other hand, fighting the killing of cows couldn’t be framed as such”. This statement is not valid at all. Have you ever heard of any japanese whale farm to breed whales, like the thousands of farms that breed cows and eventually select a very specific number of them according to sex, age, etc., to be sent to the slaughterhouses? Do not compare apples to oranges. The killing of whales without taking care of the repopulation of the species is criminal and must be banned and their perpetrators prosecuted. For the record, I am not a member of Green Peace or any organization like that. Also, I am a great admirer of the japanese people, their culture, ingenuity and their search of quality. But I do condemn any people, group, nation or whatever, that kill animals without having a single humane reason. Period
Dyske says:
January 14th, 2010 at 7:11 pmHi Gus,
With your logic, if the Japanese did take care of the “repopulation” of whales, it would be acceptable. In other words, “repopulation” becomes the criteria by which you personally determine what is “criminal” and what is not.
I’m sure many vegetarians would passionately disagree with you. Their argument would be killing of any animals for any reason whatsoever is criminal. “Repopulation” is no excuse. From their view, the Japanese killing whales is no different from everyone else killing cows.
Other people may have different criteria. For instance, in order to feed ten thousand people, you may only need to kill one whale while you may have to kill hundreds of cows, which means the total amount of pain and suffering that we humans cause is far greater with cows.
Some people even argue that killing of vegetables are immoral because some scientists have shown that plants indeed suffer when we harvest.
All these reasons that people come up with, in the end, are all arbitrary and irrelevant. Everyone has a different rationale or criteria. In the end, fighting over these differences are no different from fighting over religion, politics, and ideologies. What matter is not who is right or wrong, but how we could reconcile the differences peacefully without creating a bigger problem or conflict.
Eve says:
January 20th, 2010 at 2:19 pmrecently watched The Cove- it’s really sad seeing Dolphins, like whale are being hunted for meat? when their meat itself contains mercury..which are poisonous to the body. Japan aren’t the only country that’s practicing whale/dolphin hunting..so I don’t know why the focus is always on Japan…
orz says:
January 21st, 2010 at 12:31 pmmercury…Dolphins are not only products which contain mercury.
Many of marine products such as tuna,sea bream,bonitos,sharks, can occur mercury poisoning.
But, they say marine products contains selenium which makes methylmercury demethylated, that’s why we are still alive.
By the way,some agricultural products contains much mercury.
The reason why the focus is always on Japan? It’s quite clear. Japanese are not white.
NiuZila says:
February 9th, 2010 at 5:57 pmRepopulation or sustainability is a worthy compromise between both sides. What anti-whaling countries are mostly wanting is the protection of whale populations and keeping them away from extinction. What pro-whaling countries such as Japan and Norway want is to keep harvesting whales as they have down culturally for centuries. Instead we have extremists on both sides taking polarising positions such as no killing of whales as they are “gentle giants” (anti-whaling), and killing of whales for “scientific purposes” (pro-whaling).
Pro-whaling nations need to show the international community that their activities do not threaten whale species, and not hunt whales under the pretense of “scientific studies”. Anti-whaling nations need to recognise the cultural custom of whaling nations. Both need to view this as a sustainability issue rather than clashing of moral stances.
kyle says:
February 15th, 2010 at 11:30 pmsea shepherd is acting like terrorist. I don’t want to say about eating culture but anyway i can not agree with what they do
Guest says:
February 21st, 2010 at 10:29 pmI don’t like the fact that the whalers have been killing whales, but on another note… The Japanese have been hunting in waters that Australia has declared a whale sanctuary, which makes the whale hunting illegal. The whalers have decided not to recognize this and the Australian government has decided not to do anything because of their important relations with Japan. The activists have stated that they would back off if the Australian or New Zealand government would DO something instead of just sitting around and watching the whalers rape their waters.
Boo.
Gary says:
March 4th, 2010 at 3:43 pmI like what you are doing had a idea what you could use to throw the stuff on the ships it’s called a bloon lancher it’s used with tubing in medical supplys two pease of it with a shit on one end you can throw suff real far look it up .and keep up the good work
nommo says:
March 15th, 2010 at 12:39 pm“All these reasons that people come up with, in the end, are all arbitrary and irrelevant. Everyone has a different rationale or criteria. In the end, fighting over these differences are no different from fighting over religion, politics, and ideologies. What matter is not who is right or wrong, but how we could reconcile the differences peacefully without creating a bigger problem or conflict.”
I like that. A lot. I might quote you on that. Applies to so many things. Cheers
St says:
March 21st, 2010 at 2:43 pm“All these reasons that people come up with, in the end, are all arbitrary and irrelevant. Everyone has a different rationale or criteria. In the end, fighting over these differences are no different from fighting over religion, politics, and ideologies. What matter is not who is right or wrong, but how we could reconcile the differences peacefully without creating a bigger problem or conflict.”
Present and future?
I think that is what everyone thinks they are doing already. That would be the issue. If you want to look at things empirically, ‘repopulation’ would be the issue to look at. I would say it’s more of a pragmatic standpoint. Nobody knows what would happen to the ocean if it didn’t have enough whales (not to say we might not have enough – nobody knows), or what would happen to humans if there were too big of a change in the oceans due to population loss. It’s the same reason why raising cows and pigs over the natural limit is an issue – it harms the ecosystem in unpredictable ways. I think an ecosystem unable to sustain *our* population might count as a ‘bigger problem or conflict’. Maybe not. If you want to take a completely neutral standpoint with no ideology at all – human death and suffering shouldn’t matter either.
Vegan Society of Japan says:
March 30th, 2010 at 6:59 amThe “Whale Wars” are not only “fightable”, they are winnable which is why they are being fought.
The animal rights or animal liberation movements, of which the crustaceans campaigns are one part of, are small and poorly resourced. To pick a fight with the billion dollars meat industry would be futile.
What is special about the dolphin and whale campaign, is that in dolphins and whales, just like the Great Apes, we are dealing with mammals who have been proven to be complex, sentient, beings who feel, socialize and suffer similarly to how we do. Beings that are highly developed and intelligent and not in any way threatening to human kind.
Wild animals that are not someone’s property to do as they wish, nor even one nation’s property.
Of course, as vegans, we accept that all animals have similar rights and, as vegans over the last 60 or more years, we have proven that it is possible to live full and pleasurable lives without consciously causing animal suffering and without consciously exploiting animals. Veganism has not also proven to be hugely beneficial to the environment and hugely reductive of energy demands for modern societies.
The Japanese are not hunting dolphins and whales. Only handfuls of individuals living on the Japanese islands are hunting dolphins and whales. The two are not the same thing.
DeinFreundin says:
September 6th, 2010 at 2:31 pmI am sick and tired of “Animal Planet” glorifying and “Justifying” these “Eco Terrorists” on “Whale Wars”.
These pirates need to all be thrown in jail. If I was the captain of a whaler, I would have a helicopter on my deck and dump all my fish waste on those terrorists.
Have those idiots ever thought what would happen if they sink one of those big ships and all lives lost?
I guess they have the same mentality as the morons that call themselves “Right-to-Live” but go out and kill doctors and clinic staff.
I’m glad the whalers scored a victory and destroyed one of the pirate vessels…in self defense 🙂
I cheer everytime a Eco Terrorist goes to Jail.
I understand how everyone is so passinate about their beliefs…..Like the previuos blogger St wrote:
“In the end, fighting over these differences are no different from fighting over religion, politics, and ideologies.”
Every person has a right to make a living for themselves and their families.
My husband tries to make a living as a fisherman…and has to deal with the bureaucratic red tape caused by the idiots that try to police international waters…..(taking the Law into their own hands)
If these eco pirates think they have a right to do what they want with no regard to the lives of others, then the sailors on the big vessels should have that same right.
“Eye for an Eye”…..”Do onto others…..”
saynotojapan says:
September 8th, 2010 at 8:58 pmI, for one, am absolutely outraged by the Japanese and their so-called “research” whaling. What appalls me is just how frighteningly disingenuous the Japanese are, especially in light of the recent exposes by UK journalists that prove Japan is pimping prostitutes and buying votes with small, developing nations.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20007554-501465.html
Seriously, any apologists for Japanese whaling should be harpooned just like the Japanese gleefully hunt down these magnificent creatures. I have no fear that Japanese whaling will continue, as it always has, unabated. My only hope is that the whale meat becomes so toxic by industrial pollution that it simply becomes untenable to harvest. Oh, the irony, hyper-developed, capitalist Japan – the cruel irony.
In the interim, I have boycotted anything to do with Japan. Frankly, I find a culture that can stand by this slaughter as reprehensible. I only wish the Sea Shepard society fought with the same tactics that the Japanese use (like snipers and concussion bomb).
saynotojapan says:
September 8th, 2010 at 9:01 pmBy the way, DeinFreundin, when the collapse finally comes, I hope that we can finally meet so that I we might explore your biblical advice, you silly Christian.
DeinFreundin says:
September 11th, 2010 at 12:44 pmLOL…I’m not a “Silly Christian” 😉
I know we are already living in Hell…here on earth.
When the end does come…Gia will be overjoyed.
I do understand everything and everyone has the right to live and make a living.
I just disapprove of terrorist activities that threaten the lives of others.
Agreed….we shouldn’t hunt creatures to the brink of extinction…but those that are not, should be fair game.
There should be efforts to repopulate the oceans…for once they’re gone…They’re Gone!
My husband is a fisherman….and we have friends in the industry that are working on making sure that we all will be able to eat in the future.
If you do believe what happened to the Sea Shepherd vessel…watch the video from the Japanese ship…you can see that the Ady Gil ran into the front side of the whaler….check the engines on the Ady Gil….they throttled up before, during and after.
The whole thing was staged for T.V.