Environmentalists pursue Japan's whalers

[Midwinter]

Outside the courthouse:



Photo by Nicholas Coldicott. Here's his website.

I tell you, if some Jap was on trial overseas and there were demonstrators in front of the courthouse with shit like that, we wouldn't hear the end of the it. I think I liked them better when they were working 24/7 and too stressed to attend these sorts of events. BRING BACK EMPLOYMENT FOR LIFE!

[Takechanpoo]

Paul Watson expelled his royal mate Peter Bethune from SS because, according to Watson, Bethune violated SS's "anti-violent" policy.
What a ruthless and sneak dude!!!

[Mike Oxlong]

[Takechanpoo]

[Mulboyne]

[FG Lurker]

There's a longer story as well:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article7149086.ece

Yep, Japan's working hard to improve their image in the world.

[Mike Oxlong]

[yt]cKBBQvY3TQQ[/yt]

[Mike Oxlong]

Crosslinked to this thread.

[Mulboyne]

Crosslinked to this thread.

Sorry, MO, didn't see that you'd already posted the story. I've merged the threads.

[Mike Oxlong]

It's me who should apolgise for being dickish. Character flaw. Mea culpa.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Actual Yahoo News Headline: Whale poop fights climate change

Southern Ocean sperm whales are an unexpected ally in the fight against global warming, removing the equivalent carbon emissions from 40,000 cars each year thanks to their faeces, a study found on Wednesday.

The cetaceans have been previously fingered as climate culprits because they breathe out carbon dioxide (CO2), the commonest greenhouse gas.

But this is only a part of the picture, according to the paper, published in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

In a heroic calculation, Australian biologists estimated that the estimated 12,000 sperm whales in the Southern Ocean each defecate around 50 tonnes of iron into the sea every year after digesting the fish and squid they hunt.

The iron is a terrific food for phytoplankton -- marine plants that live near the ocean surface and which suck up CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis.

As a result of faecal fertilisation, the whales remove 400,000 tonnes of carbon each year, twice as much as the 200,000 tonnes of CO2 that they contribute through respiration.

By way of comparison, 200,000 tonnes of CO2 is equal to the emissions of almost 40,000 passenger cars, according to an equation on the website of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The whales' faeces are so effective because they are emitted in liquid form and close to the surface, before the mammals dive, said the paper.

Industrialised whaling not only gravely threatened Southern Ocean sperm whales, it also damaged a major carbon "sink," the scientific term for something that removes more greenhouse gases than it produces, it added.

Before industrial whaling, the population of this species was about 10 times bigger, which meant around two million tonnes of CO2 were removed annually, said the paper ...

[Takechanpoo]

[SIZE="4"]Australian[/SIZE] biologists estimated

We must not believe what Aussie biologists are saying.
Re-inspection is needed by a third organization.

[Midwinter]

We must not believe what Aussie biologists are saying.
Re-inspection is needed by a third organization.

And preferably one you've paid off with yen and whores. Tanzania perhaps?

[Greji]

And preferably one you've paid off with yen and whores. Tanzania perhaps?

Yen and whores? Do they want my vote?

[Samurai_Jerk]

Yen and whores? Do they want my vote?

I know you think you're an island unto yourself but unfortunately I don't think that will get you recognized as a nation by the IWC.

[Greji]

[quote="Samurai_Jerk"]I know you think you're an island unto yourself but unfortunately I don't think that will get you recognized as a nation by the IWC. ]

Can I still get the yen and whores as a friend of the court?

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

We must not believe what Aussie biologists are saying.
Re-inspection is needed by a third organization.

You're absolutely right. I agree with you. When it comes to "scientific research," nobody comes near the Japanese for aptitude. It must be your smaller colons, or perhaps it's the four seasons.

[Yokohammer]

You're absolutely right. I agree with you. When it comes to "scientific research," nobody comes near the Japanese for aptitude.

Absolutely! This is proven by the overwhelming number of practical, world-shaping innovations that have come out of Japanese research.

[nottu]

[Christoff]

Absolutely! This is proven by the overwhelming number of practical, world-shaping innovations that have come out of Japanese research.

Yes, one of these is a great example of a world shaping innovation.

[BigInJapan]

[floatl][/floatl]Anti-whaling activist Peter Bethune has been given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for five years, by a Japanese court.

The New Zealander, an ex-member of direct action group Sea Shepherd, faced charges of illegally boarding a whaling ship in the Antarctic in February.

He said he wanted to detain its captain but he was instead taken to Japan, where he was arrested.

He had pleaded guilty to four out of five charges but had denied assault.

Bethune had admitted charges of trespassing, vandalism, possession of a knife and obstructing business.

He was also found guilty of assault, by throwing stink bombs made of butyric acid - rancid butter - at whalers.

His suspended sentence means that he will not be jailed. He is expected to be deported to New Zealand soon. (continued on BBC)

[Samurai_Jerk]

possession of a knife

Is that a crime in international waters?

[AssKissinger]

suspended for five years,

lame

[Ganma]

Whaling activist Bethune given suspended sentence

That'll be a relief for him. If he's smart he won't be attacking any whaling ships any time soon. NZ can do without retards like this giving it a bad name.

[Mike Oxlong]

[Mike Oxlong]

[Samurai_Jerk]

Sea Shepherd Have God[size=-2]zilla[/size] On Their Side

A controversial animal-rights group preparing to embark on its annual harassment campaign against Japanese whalers has stepped up its effort this season by enlisting the aid of ... Godzilla.

The swift and ominous-looking interceptor vessel has the moniker Gojira, named after the ferocious monster in the legendary Japanese film, which in English means Godzilla.

The 115-foot boat was launched by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society on Monday in Fremantle, Australia, and has joined the larger vessels, Steve Irwin and Bob Barker, in Hobart. At midweek all three will begin their journey to Antarctic waters, where their crews will await the arrival of the Japanese whaling fleet

Japan also means business. The whaling ships will carry armed members of the Japan Coast Guard to help prevent sabotage by the activists, according to the Japan Times ...

[Mike Oxlong]

[Mike Oxlong]

Off to the races:

The Japanese whaling fleet left Thursday for this year's hunt in the Antarctic later than usual and with a much smaller fleet, the Greenpeace environmental group said.

The reason for the delay was the lack of demand for whale meat, the non-government organization said. Traditionally, the fleet leaves Japan in November and returns in April.

'The reduced size of the Japanese whaling fleet means they will be unable to catch more than half of their quota,' said Wakao Hanaoka, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Japan, which said the reduced fleet was caused by ships being sold or scrapped.

The whalers 'are up to their necks in it,' Greenpeace marine biologist Thilo Maack said. 'First, they lose their tanker and refrigerator ship, then their sightings ship. Now they have to satisfy themselves with a halved quota and a drastically shorter hunting season.'

A majority of Japanese do not eat whale meat, leading to the accumulation of a huge stockpile. According to the latest government data available, as of the end of August, there were 5,790 tons of whale meat in cold storage...

[AML]

If they have that much in storage why the hell do they need to catch more?

Finish what you have first!

At least then they give the whale population some time to recover....

I often ask my students:

"What would you do if the tuna went extinct and you had no more sushi or sashimi?"

Half of them dont understand the question "imi wakaranai" and the other half refuse to believe that tuna is coming close to extinction.

Its this dumb head-in-the-sand attitude, coupled with lack of education that's causing the extinction of whales and other marine life.