Japanese whalers, activists clash off Antarctica

April,
They are able to sell whale meat because they are REQUIRED to not let the byproduct of their research to go to waste.
As far as sources regarding populations, I'll post this link. I am using this one because it doesn't require one to wade through a sea of scientific data.
http://marinelife.about.com/od/verte...nkeprofile.htm
In addition to the above there are many sources that provide factual evidence that the small harvest has very little impact on overall population due to several factors. I will admit it can be difficult to distinguish between sites that offer up scientific data versus those that seek to skew facts due to an enderlying agenda.

April,
I'd also like to ask, are you perhaps opposed to hunting or fishing? No offense or insult meant, however it seems from your post you associate any sort of harvest with the inevitable demise of the targeted prey.

Originally Posted by Luvthemtorts

I'd also like to ask, are you perhaps opposed to hunting or fishing?

for sport? yes (only hazy area here to me is catch and release fishing)
for eatting/survival and utilizing as much of the animal as possible? nope, not opposed**
**assuming the species survival is not under threat by such activities

I eat meat but I don't agree with a lot of the ways food animals are harvested and treated.

and thanks for the link about the whales, I will check it out as I would like to learn more about it. (I have a soft spot for whales growing up watching "Voyage of the Mimi" on PBS).

Originally Posted by AbsoluteApril

for sport? yes (only hazy area here to me is catch and release fishing)
for eatting/survival and utilizing as much of the animal as possible? nope, not opposed**
**assuming the species survival is not under threat by such activities

I eat meat but I don't agree with a lot of the ways food animals are harvested and treated.

and thanks for the link about the whales, I will check it out as I would like to learn more about it. (I have a soft spot for whales growing up watching "Voyage of the Mimi" on PBS).

Thanks for an honest answer! For the record I am opposed to sport hunting as well, assuming this means striclty for antlers or other such "trophies".
I think if you do a search and actively try to divide the scientific data from the data supported by radical groups you will be surpised at how much misinformation has been propogated.

The Cove is another bit of PR media. Bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales and spotted dolphins are not endangered and do eat a lot of fish stocks. Since the japanese are eating the meat and blubber, why should we be opposed to them "harvesting" dolphin just like we "harvest" whitetail deer here? Both are wild living creatures killed and eaten and both are often called pests. Deer eat crops and ornamental planting and cause car accidents, dolphin eat fish stocks, etc.

If the stocks will support a quota hunt, I have no problem with the hunting. Deer, dolphin, bear, possum... lol. Waste is waste, whether in sport hunts or nuisance killing. Since they use the product, no problems.

Whale meat IS legal in some places. Not every country has outlawed all marine mammal products like the United States did.

Originally Posted by Wolfy-hound

Since the japanese are eating the meat and blubber, why should we be opposed to them "harvesting" dolphin just like we "harvest" whitetail deer here?

I'm not. What I am opposed to is the inhuman way they slaughter the dolphins; I'd love to say euthanize, but that's not what happens.


edit to add:

nuisance killing

And what is nuisance killing? It is man killing animals that are just trying to live in their territories but we humans think somehow it's all ours now and screw them.
(I'm just ranting, not personally directing this towards you Theresa)

Originally Posted by Wolfy-hound

The Cove is another bit of PR media. Bottlenose dolphins, pilot whales and spotted dolphins are not endangered and do eat a lot of fish stocks. Since the japanese are eating the meat and blubber, why should we be opposed to them "harvesting" dolphin just like we "harvest" whitetail deer here? Both are wild living creatures killed and eaten and both are often called pests. Deer eat crops and ornamental planting and cause car accidents, dolphin eat fish stocks, etc.

If the stocks will support a quota hunt, I have no problem with the hunting. Deer, dolphin, bear, possum... lol. Waste is waste, whether in sport hunts or nuisance killing. Since they use the product, no problems.

Whale meat IS legal in some places. Not every country has outlawed all marine mammal products like the United States did.

Well said!
I think people tend to anthropomorphize certain animals which only makes rational debate with these groups all the more difficult. These same people tend to pick and choose which animal species is worthy of their outcries of injustice which in itself is hypocritical.

Nuisance killing refers to when people kill animals they consider a nuisance. Like shooting coyotes that really harm nothing out in the wild. I would not consider shooting a coyote that is in a farmyard(going after chickens) to be "nuisance" killing. That's legitimate wildlife control. But roaming around out in open wild lands just to shoot coyotes is wasteful. Especially when the shooter doesn't even take the skin, just kills the coyote.

That's the one I can think of right off the top of my head. You'll note I was talking about "wasteful" killing when I mentioned "nuisance" killing.

The fastest way to humanely kill a dolphin is by using a lance to pierce the heart. Even drugs don't kill them properly or quickly and would end up making the entire animal useless for food product, meaning you'd be back at "wasteful". Cetacean brains are pretty well protected behind a thick skull and a lot of blubber and oil resevoirs. So a "head shot" isn't really possible.