Animal Planet covers the shenanigans of Sea Shepard

[Kanchou]

Animal Planet started a show a short time ago featuring Sea Shepard's attempts to thwart Japanese whalers. Some of the stuff they do makes you wonder whether some of them are missing a few important parts, especially the founder.

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars/

Personally I think anyone sailing under a pirate flag should be shot, regardless of the whaling controversy. I'm against rampant whaling of endangered species but I think the cultural aspects and considering that the minke whale is at the moment a viable food source (to a certain extent) means they're in the right... but I figure as long as you have someone pestering the whalers it'll help to keep them from over-hunting whales in general.

[jingai]

No whale is a viable human food source. Three words- mercury, dioxin, PCBs. This is the last thing you want to feed to children (I can't believe surplus whale meat ends up in Japanese schools), or really anyone else.

The culture needs to keep pace with the changing environment- aren't indigenous cultures supposed to be in harmony with nature? Well, in this case the natural environment is now really toxic.

Mercury Taint Divides a Japanese Whaling Town
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/world/asia/21dolphin.html

Extreme mercury levels revealed in whalemeat
"Two of the 26 liver samples examined contained over 1970 micrograms of mercury per gram of liver. That is nearly 5000 times the Japanese government's limit for mercury contamination, 0.4 micrograms per gram."
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn2362-extreme-mercury-levels-revealed-in-whalemeat-.html

Whale and dolphin meat sold in Japan has high levels of dioxin
"t researchers headed by Koichi Haraguchi, associate professor at Daiichi University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences in Fukuoka, detected dioxin levels up to 172 times the tolerable daily intake in marketed whale and dolphin meat."
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20000704a4.html

[Kanchou]

Well, that said, contamination problems do come and go over the years.

[klimmer]

Well, that said, contamination problems do come and go over the years.

I'm afraid your statement do not make a whole lot of sense. Recessions come and go over the years. Girlfriends come and go over the years. How does contamination come and go over the years? It's my understanding that once something is contaminated, it stays contaminated.

Eat less meat, more vegetables and food problem will be partially solved.

[Buraku]

You can fish farm, so I assume with a bit of effort you can whale farm right? Mankind invented farming thousands of years ago to stop us from chasing down animals and wiping the species out just so we could get a snack. So why in the 21st century are the Japanese still chasing these sea creatures across the oceans and driving some of them to the edge of extinction?
You know I don't think I'd mind too much if somebody decided to blast a few pirates out of the water. It might send a message to the people smuggling missiles, drug runners and general lawlessness taking over the oceans. The hippies might actually take note and start to behave responsibly. and maybe even the Somalis might stop holding people hostage. However if you want to be a hardass about your patch on the ocean floor you've also got to look at it from the Aussie perspective. What's good for the goose works for the gander so should the Australian Navy start to open fire whenever a Japanese vessel invades their Aussie waters to hunt down their latest meal like a bunch of pirates?

[Yokohammer]

The first big problem with the whaling for me is the blatant deceit it's being done under. It isn't research, plain and simple. It's whaling for profit and national obstinacy.

Second, when it's taking place in the antarctic waters below Oz it's being done in an internationally recognized marine sanctuary. But since it isn't law the whalers can simply say they don't recognize it as a sanctuary. How f*cking cooperative.

So much of this issue is straight-out jingoism. A big "f*ck" you, you can't tell us what to do" to the rest of the world.

It's not only about protecting the whales (which I do think is a good idea).

[AlbertSiegel]

I watch that show with the hope that the Japanese sink those stupid hippies to the bottom of the sea or at least hurt a few of them.

Really, how is it these eco terroist can get away with this? I can't stand green peace or any other hippies who think they can police the world to protect "animal rights" just because they think I should only eat grass. I'd like to see them teach a shark to eat salad. Stupid fucking hippies and the losers who support them all need to learn how life works.

[Charles]

Mercury Taint Divides a Japanese Whaling Town
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/world/asia/21dolphin.html

There's nothing worse than a poisonous taint.

[kamome]

I saw an episode of the show for the first time over the weekend. It's easy to see both sides of the issue, but the Japanese whalers may be technically in the right (legally) even though what they're doing is morally wrong and not in keeping with the spirit of the moratorium.

The Sea Shepherd's tactics are a bit too extreme for my tastes. The episode I saw involved two of their crew purposely boarding the Japanese vessel so they could be exploited as "hostages" of the Japanese whaling fleet. They then reported it to the media as if the Japanese took the initiative to capture them and hold them against their will.

[Yokohammer]

I agree that the Sea Shepherd's tactics are questionable, but I also think they know it, and are playing the bad-guy role on purpose. The whalers' methods and logic are not exactly pure and righteous either. Neither group is standing on higher moral ground.

What the Sea Shepherd people are achieving, at the expense of their repute, is to draw attention to the issue. Can't deny that they're succeeding in that respect. And they're doing that because nothing else has been effective thus far.

However, the Australian government has just announced that they're going to pour a few million dollars into a non-lethal whale research program – using satellite tracking and such – which is intended to prove that lethal "research" with grenade-tipped harpoons is totally unnecessary.

Not sure it'll help, but at least they're trying.

[klimmer]

I think the stupid and hardworking often cause more problems than the lazy, who does no harm.

[Charles]

[quote="Yokohammer"]..However, the Australian government has just announced that they're going to pour a few million dollars into a non-lethal whale research program –]

They call it a "research program," but I think ozzies just like smelling whale farts.

[Kanchou]

I'm afraid your statement do not make a whole lot of sense. Recessions come and go over the years. Girlfriends come and go over the years. How does contamination come and go over the years? It's my understanding that once something is contaminated, it stays contaminated.

That would be true if you were talking about a bathtub instead of a ecosystem.

When the source of the contanimation is removed, the contaminations are gradually removed from the ecosystem by a number of things... ie, they are metabolized by animals, plants, or break down naturally, etc. But usually by that point some damage has already been done... ie, DDT was banned years ago but the peregrine falcon population is still suffering due to the weakening of eggshells that it caused.

Just think about your body as an ecosystem... even if you get fit-shaced drunk, your body will eventually get rid of the alcohol, assuming you didn't die of alcohol poisoning, and that you stopped drinking for the time being.

[Iraira]

Just think about your body as an ecosystem... even if you get fit-shaced drunk, your body will eventually get rid of the alcohol, assuming you didn't die of alcohol poisoning, and that you stopped drinking for the time being.

That's true unless the girl you picked up at the Barfly Bar removed one or both of your kidneys for sale on the Chinese black market while you were in an alcohol induced coma. Must know at least 10 or 12 guys that happened to in the past three months. Most are ok now, as they were also abducted by aliens....everything's better after a anal probe.

[Yokohammer]

They call it a "research program," but I think ozzies just like smelling whale farts.

Well there ya go! It's working already!

Have the Japanese whalers figured out that whales fart, after years and years of killing the things?

Dead whales don't fart.

[AssKissinger]

I want to see the Sea Shepard sink and freeze.

[Samurai_Jerk]

The only thing the whalers are doing wrong is NOT harpooning those Sea Shepard fucks. I would love to see video of that.

[amdg]

I want to see the Sea Shepard sink and freeze.

I want to see them attacked by whales and killed. That would be a story worth writing about.

[Iraira]

I want to see the Sea Shepard sink and freeze.

Maybe Somali pirates will hijack the Sea Shepard and the J-whaling fleet. It would be good PR for the pirates....make them all walk the plank and scuttle their ships. Thousands of J-kids can rejoice knowing that their development will not be stunted by dioxin, etc...then there would be hope for Japan's future. C'mon, pirates!

[Kanchou]

The only thing the whalers are doing wrong is NOT harpooning those Sea Shepard fucks. I would love to see video of that.

That WOULD be hilarious, because not only is the harpoon EXPLOSIVE TIPPED, it also fills their bloated dead carcasses with air to make them stay afloat.

[Samurai_Jerk]

That WOULD be hilarious, because not only is the harpoon EXPLOSIVE TIPPED, it also fills their bloated dead carcasses with air to make them stay afloat.

That description just gave me boner. Nothing makes me happier than dead hippies.

[IkemenTommy]

LoL at these hardcore whale watchers
[YT]j_78o4RFwTM[/YT]

[Behan]

LoL at these hardcore whale watchers
[YT]j_78o4RFwTM[/YT]

I bet there are some Japanese whalers who would piss themselves laughing if they saw this.

[Samurai_Jerk]

LoL at these hardcore whale watchers
[YT]j_78o4RFwTM[/YT]

Why won't someone harpoon their whale of a leader? It's bad enough he's a douche-bag terrorist but a Canadian to boot (or should I say aboot?).

Anyway, I hope someone died.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25699097-662,00.html

Seeing this story today reminded me of my favorite whale joke.

A whale couple are swimming around off the coast of Japan when they notice a whaling boat has just left port and failed to spot them.
"Let's have some fun," the hubby whale says to his whale wife.
"OK," she replies.
"Let's sneak up under the boat, get as close to the hull as we can and then give an almightly blow of our spouts to see if we can tip the ship over," he says.
"I'll be in that," she replies.
The whale couple weave around under the water until they're behind the whaling ship. They swim up underneath the craft, getting as close as they can to the bottom. When they're in place, the hubby whale gives a sign to his mate and they both begin simultaneously blowing their spouts in the most powerful manner possible. The force of their spout blows is tremendous, immediately sending the whaling ship toppling on its side. Every member of the Japanese whaler's crew is hurled overboard.
The hubby whale spots the crewmembers frantically swimming toward shore and his vindictive streak comes into play.
"Hey love," he says to his wife. "How about we go after the crew and eat them up up?"
"Absolutely not," she says indignantly. "I had no problem going along with that blow job part, but there's no way you're going to get me to swallow the seaman."

[Mike Oxlong]

Japan Probe has a bit on a new ally of Sea Shepherd's, and his Batman-like toy...

[Greji]

[Mike Oxlong]

[yt]J06bcmbXdZo[/yt]
"Where does he get those wonderful toys?!"

[TennoChinko]

Not that it matters that much but I wonder whether most Japanese realize that LUSH cosmetics is a major supporter of the SEA SHEPHERD?



http://www.seashepherd.org/seals/lush.html

[IkemenTommy]

Not that it matters that much but I wonder whether most Japanese realize that LUSH cosmetics is a major supporter of the SEA SHEPHERD?

http://www.seashepherd.org/seals/lush.html

Not that I ever shopped there or ever was planning to.. I am going to recommend everyone I know to never shop there ever again.