Human's aren't endangered so why don't we harpoon or shoot some humans for consumption?
Yeah give the Green Peace boats harpoons and tell them to go nuts.
The Rainbow Warrior was a ship owned by Greenpeace.
With respect, Tim Flannery is not a biologist, ecologist, or a marine mammal scientist. We don't know enough about minke whales to determine even their conservation status.
Krill fisheries? Krill is not an economically viable fishery for human consumption, given there is currently limited human market for it (it's used as fish bait and feed); therefore, it is unlikely that Japan will invest in krill fisheries to "offset" whaling activities.
Average time to death from first shooting ranges from instantaneous death (rare) to 45 minutes. Livestock are rarely left in this state, at least in Australia. Leaving an animal to bleed to death is what I would call "mindless barbarism".
Tim Flannery is definitely a biologist, in fact quite the respected one from my understanding. Also I'm not particularly certain I'd want to take the word of people who have decided to devote their lives to whales, they obviously are quite fond of the creatures so I'm cautious about what would no doubt be their overwhelming majority opinion.
The purpose would not be for human consumption though, the purpose would be to help sustain the current whale populations.
And sure you think it's also wrong to keep the battery hens locked up... As do you probably take issue with the many other cases of abuse which are likely to occur merely due to the numbers involved. A fine moral position but as I said all that time ago, not one that everyone is going to take.
I stand corrected, he is too. Comment regarding his qualifications duly retracted with apologies.
If it can be shown that it's sustainable, and if kills could be performed humanely, sure. I would not have a problem with it, though I'd not personally avail myself of the meat. Dolphin culls, for example, are generally sustainable - but I take issue with them, as well.
Economy vs sense? IDK. Currently, Japan is running at a loss with its whaling operations.
And how would they make any money from that/i.e. be inclined to enter into such a business plan?
Again, with respect, I'm glad your moral stance on the issue is not one informing policy
It would be silly for me to claim that they could be unbiased in my opinion, as much as that may be the goal and even their desire. This isn't to say that their research is to be taken with a grain of salt, definitely not, as long as the methodology is not flawed the research is fine.... My point is regarding their opinions, specifically for example any polls of whether marine biologists believe minke whales should be farmed.
Perhaps they are? I don't really care about such issues. If the government wants whaling to occur even at a loss so be it.
As you said they're already at least according to you running at a loss, so perhaps it's not an economic argument, maybe it has something to do with national pride... I don't know, nor do I really care. If whaling were to be economically viable (as at least their nations seem to think it is) then perhaps in order to maintain stocks, as a long-term outlook, it is also economically viable to build such krill fisheries.
I'd sympathise with your position much more if I knew you were a bit more of an "eco-nut" (not trying to be too derogatory) who is vegan or at least vegetarian due to the suffering which is caused to many of the animals, regardless of how hard we try... who takes great issue with farmers use of pesticides etc (not sure your position on this) and finds equal moral outrage in these issues.
I would wonder at the sense of any "marine biologist" who would vote in the affirmative of "minke whale farming", given farming of such an animal is ludicrous, even only taking into account logistics
It is certainly in large part due to national pride. In fact, I would say that is the largest single influencing factor of the Japanese whaling operations, given that they don't have a market for the meat in the country. Most of it is being stored frozen.
Humans = Animals
