Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has called for calm in the bitter dispute over whaling, saying he hopes the row will not hurt relations between his country and Australia.
Australian Customs ship the Oceanic Viking is currently monitoring a Japanese whaling fleet in the Southern Ocean.
Mr Fukuda has discussed the whaling row during a meeting with Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, who is in Japan.
“The whaling issue is a matter of each country’s circumstances,” Mr Fukuda told reporters after the meeting.
“It should not negatively influence diplomatic relations.
“It’s important to address the whaling issue in a calm manner.”
Earlier a spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith, who met with his Japanese counterpart Masahiko Komura in Tokyo overnight, said Japan and Australia had “agreed to disagree” on whaling.
“The conversations I’ve had with Mr Komura, both by telephone in Australia before the end of last year and last night, reflect that this is an area where Australia and Japan agree to disagree,” the statement said.
“It’s very important to ensure that that doesn’t get in the way of the economic and security and strategic partnership that Australia and Japan have.”
However Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett has today said he is deeply disappointed the Japanese fleet has begun whaling again, and promised the Australian Government is committed to fighting the whalers.
“We’re in for the long haul. We will use the full suite of measures that we’ve identified as necessary,” he said.
Japan argues that whaling is part of its culture and accuses Western nations of cultural insensitivity. It uses a loophole in a 1986 global whaling moratorium that allows lethal research.
The Australian Government says at least five whales were killed since protesters were forced to return to port for fuel.
Source: AFP
By: Bmused55 - 3rd February 2008 at 15:13
Human beings are hunters, we have exactly the same ‘right’ to hunt whales as Lions do to hunt Zebra, its exactly the same principle.
I cannot agree with that. Its simply not a fair comparison.
Lions hunt for sustenance. We humans, or the Japanese in this case, are hunting whales for luxury goods. We have also grown beyond the need to hunt due to farming of animals.
There is a big difference.
By: Norman D Lands - 3rd February 2008 at 13:56
Human beings are hunters, we have exactly the same ‘right’ to hunt whales as Lions do to hunt Zebra, its exactly the same principle.
For once i agree !
By: sealordlawrence - 3rd February 2008 at 13:17
I can’t agree with that. Just because man has the capacity to destroy every living thing on the planet doesn’t give us the right to.
What I actually meant was that these domestic animals reared today are solely for human consumption…..if man didn’t want to eat them they wouldn’t exist (wool, milk and eggs excepted of course).
Agreed, but my objection to killing whales isn’t based on morals. It is based solely on an utterly hypocritical, illogical and sentimental ‘gut reaction’ to this practice hence the abhorrence!
On moral grounds I’ve always found the argument that many ‘vegetarians’ use to justify eating fish strange. Yes, the fish have led a natural life of freedom up until the point they were caught but does that give us the right to kill them?
At least with domestic animals man has fed them, sheltered them, cured them of disease, protected them from (other) predators and so in exchange for all this, and giving them life in the first place, don’t we have more right to eat them than a wild animal.
(Why did this post vanish the first time I put it up? :confused:)
Human beings are hunters, we have exactly the same ‘right’ to hunt whales as Lions do to hunt Zebra, its exactly the same principle.
By: Creaking Door - 3rd February 2008 at 12:53
There is a pub not far from here with a whalebone arch over the door…
Does that count as ‘Scrimshaw’?
Scrimshaw is one of my favourite specific names for things and a great quiz question…wouldn’t have any in the house though.
Those Blue Whale feeding filters are called ’baleen plates’ by the way.
According to Wikipedia Sperm whale oil (spermaceti) is used for:
“watch oil, automatic transmission fluid, lubricant for photographic lenses and delicate high-altitude instruments, cosmetics, additives in motor oils, glycerin, rust-proofing compounds, detergent, chemical fibres, vitamins”
No mention of lamp-oil so I was probably wrong about that but ‘automatic transmission fluid’ and ‘additives in motor oils’ surprised me. Shows how recently the whaling industry ended.
Fascinating history…..and sailing ships of course…..pity it’s all such a tragedy really.
(Doesn’t seem to be my day today…was just about to post this the first time and the power went off!)
By: Pete Truman - 3rd February 2008 at 11:20
I think the Sperm whale was hunted mainly for their oil which was used for fuel in domestic oil-burning lamps…..apparently it doesn’t smoke when it burns.
The ‘plankton filters’ (I forget what they are called) were used as the frames in ‘whalebone’ skirts…
…another early, ridiculously shameful, contribution by fashion to conservation! 😡
At least back then they had the decency to admit what had died for the sake of their frock!
The whole ‘industry’ of whaling is fascinating…..abhorrent, yes…..but still fascinating. I’m very glad it is now all but history, and that no species of whale is extinct…..so far!
Of course, whalebone corsets, be we have plastic now.
There is a pub not far from here with a whalebone arch over the door, just outside of Haverhill, how that ended up on the Suffolk/Essex border is beyond me, I also recall a similar artifact at the Salutation pub in Nottingham, again, what a wierd thing to do in such an inland location.
By: Pete Truman - 3rd February 2008 at 11:10
I can’t agree with that. Just because man has the capacity to destroy every living thing on the planet doesn’t give us the right to.
What I actually meant was that these domestic animals reared today are solely for human consumption…..if man didn’t want to eat them they wouldn’t exist (wool, milk and eggs excepted of course).
Agreed, but my objection to killing whales isn’t based on morals. It is based solely on an utterly hypocritical, illogical and sentimental ‘gut reaction’ to this practice hence the abhorrence!
On moral grounds I’ve always found the argument that many ‘vegetarians’ use to justify eating fish strange. Yes, the fish have led a natural life of freedom up until the point they were caught but does that give us the right to kill them?
At least with domestic animals man has fed them, sheltered them, cured them of disease, protected them from (other) predators and so in exchange for all this, and giving them life in the first place, don’t we have more right to eat them than a wild animal.
(Why did this post vanish the first time I put it up? :confused:)
Don’t bother to put up any arguments, this man lives on the planet Zog.
By: Creaking Door - 3rd February 2008 at 11:08
…weren’t Sperm whales plankton filters used for hair brushes, anyone know anymore…
I think the Sperm whale was hunted mainly for their oil which was used for fuel in domestic oil-burning lamps…..apparently it doesn’t smoke when it burns.
The ‘plankton filters’ (I forget what they are called) were used as the frames in ‘whalebone’ skirts…
…another early, ridiculously shameful, contribution by fashion to conservation! 😡
At least back then they had the decency to admit what had died for the sake of their frock!
The whole ‘industry’ of whaling is fascinating…..abhorrent, yes…..but still fascinating. I’m very glad it is now all but history, and that no species of whale is extinct…..so far!
By: Creaking Door - 3rd February 2008 at 10:54
Considering we are the dominant species on Earth with the potential to hunt to extinction whatever we want…they all owe us their lives.
I can’t agree with that. Just because man has the capacity to destroy every living thing on the planet doesn’t give us the right to.
What I actually meant was that these domestic animals reared today are solely for human consumption…..if man didn’t want to eat them they wouldn’t exist (wool, milk and eggs excepted of course).
Killing a whale is no different to sending a Chicken to slaughter, if you really want to be moral about it you could make the point that the Whale lives a far more pleasant life up until its death than any Animal produced through an agricultural system.
Agreed, but my objection to killing whales isn’t based on morals. It is based solely on an utterly hypocritical, illogical and sentimental ‘gut reaction’ to this practice hence the abhorrence!
On moral grounds I’ve always found the argument that many ‘vegetarians’ use to justify eating fish strange. Yes, the fish have led a natural life of freedom up until the point they were caught but does that give us the right to kill them?
At least with domestic animals man has fed them, sheltered them, cured them of disease, protected them from (other) predators and so in exchange for all this, and giving them life in the first place, don’t we have more right to eat them than a wild animal.
(Why did this post vanish the first time I put it up? :confused:)
By: Pete Truman - 3rd February 2008 at 10:47
I really think that anyone who thinks that killing a whale is no different from killing a chicken needs serious psychiatric help.
We are talking of a mass produced, not too bright, human created and bred food source here, any one with any brain cells can’t compare a chicken to a whale.
Unfortunately conservation has become an issue with many species that have been hunted almost to extinction by human greed and manipulation, look at Rhinos, almost gone because of the ‘aphrodisiac properties’ of it’s horn, that’s just one, the list goes on and on, ooh, symbolic, Mr Rat has just appeared in the garden.
The Japanese claim to kill whales for research, they are mainly going for Minke whales and ‘need’ to kill 1000 to find out how long they live, why?
Why don’t they come clean and admit it’s for their incomprehensible diet, not only that, but how do you fit 1000 whales in one factory ship, and have you seen how they try and kill them.
All whales have been in trouble in the past due to over hunting, they are now in trouble because of ‘Global Warming’.
But please explain to me exactly what foodstuff comes from a whale, blubber, yeah right, must nip to Tescos and buy some, originally it was ambergist, that I believe was used for perfumes, then weren’t Sperm whales plankton filters used for hair brushes, anyone know anymore or be able to tell me what the point of killing them is, apart from wierd Japanese dietary requirements.
I went out on a boat trip along the North Devon coast last summer, porporses were leaping out the water next to us, everyone loved it, and thats what they’d come to see, perhaps we should have taken on board a few shotguns and blown them out of the water, well they are the same as cattle are’nt they Sealord.
By: sealordlawrence - 3rd February 2008 at 00:02
Only that in the case of Beef, Chicken, Goose, Turkey, Lamb and Pork these animals do, literally, owe us their lives.
No, personally I don’t give a tinker’s toss if it is sustainable or not. I find the killing of these beautiful creatures utterly abhorrent under almost any circumstances.
I thought there was no regulation, only a voluntary moratorium. Basically Japan (or anybody else) could kill as many whales as they liked without any ‘legal’ consequences.
Considering we are the dominant species on Earth with the potential to hunt to extinction whatever we want (something that would be far more ‘natural’ than conservation) they all owe us their lives. People seem to forget that human beings are animals too, omnivores that owe their intelligence partly to our ancestors hunting prowess.
Killing a whale is no different to sending a Chicken to slaughter, if you really want to be moral about it you could make the point that the Whale lives a far more pleasant life up until its death than any Animal produced through an agricultural system.
Hunting, killing and eating animals is not abhorrent but one of the most basic indicators of what makes humans human. Why people should try and distinguish between different species of human prey is utterly beyond me. After all do we not hunt fish?
By: Creaking Door - 2nd February 2008 at 23:07
Why is Japanese people wanting to eat whale meat any different to you, I or anybody else wanting to eat Cod, Haddock, Crab, Beef, Chicken, Rabbit, Goose, Turkey, Duck, Lamb, Pork etc etc etc?:confused:
Only that in the case of Beef, Chicken, Goose, Turkey, Lamb and Pork these animals do, literally, owe us their lives.
Thats the only real issue here, is it being done sustainably?
No, personally I don’t give a tinker’s toss if it is sustainable or not. I find the killing of these beautiful creatures utterly abhorrent under almost any circumstances.
…the appropriate regulation and enforcement needs to be in place.
I thought there was no regulation, only a voluntary moratorium. Basically Japan (or anybody else) could kill as many whales as they liked without any ‘legal’ consequences.
By: cal900 - 2nd February 2008 at 21:04
Have silly old greenpeace’s ship run out of fuel yet?
By: sealordlawrence - 2nd February 2008 at 18:25
I agree, but i think its folks views on it not being a sustainable food source. most of the various whale types are teetering on extinction due to mans pollution of their environment and also years of hunting.
May be i will be interesting when the cod stocks start to get seriously depleted ,like we are being warned about, and the unthinkable happens and our native staple fish cod becomes extinct , then lets see who breaks fishing embargoes then.
Has any one here ever tried whale meat is it worth all the fuss.
Thats the only real issue here, is it being done sustainably? if so then so be it, if not then the appropriate regulation and enforcement needs to be in place.
By: laviticus - 2nd February 2008 at 18:18
Why is Japanese people wanting to eat whale meat any different to you, I or anybody else wanting to eat Cod, Haddock, Crab, Beef, Chicken, Rabbit, Goose, Turkey, Duck, Lamb, Pork etc etc etc?:confused:
I agree, but i think its folks views on it not being a sustainable food source. most of the various whale types are teetering on extinction due to mans pollution of their environment and also years of hunting.
May be i will be interesting when the cod stocks start to get seriously depleted ,like we are being warned about, and the unthinkable happens and our native staple fish cod becomes extinct , then lets see who breaks fishing embargoes then.
Has any one here ever tried whale meat is it worth all the fuss.
By: sealordlawrence - 2nd February 2008 at 17:53
Is this the Bushido Code relative to whales, I heard the Japanese ministers excuses on the Jeremy Vine show the other week, it was, yes, well, relating to ear wax, ‘ The more whales you kill, the more earwax you get, makes us understand how long they live’, what a load of cr#p.
Obviously explains their treatment of POW’s during the war, ‘Work hard on railway and we look after earwax and see how long you live’, pity they didn’t think of that excuse in 1945, or perhaps they did, sorry, I had relatives who suffered at the hands of these peoples grand parents during the war, it must be a genetic sadism clause.
Can’t we lend Greenpeace a redundant Type 42 and see what they try and kill then, I’d like to see that factory ship light up the sky.
I get upset over killing a rat, whales are awesome, they have suffered so much and they are such beautiful creatures, humans don’t need to kill and eat them, which is what this is all about, what is wrong with these people, have we any Japanese contributers on here.
Why is Japanese people wanting to eat whale meat any different to you, I or anybody else wanting to eat Cod, Haddock, Crab, Beef, Chicken, Rabbit, Goose, Turkey, Duck, Lamb, Pork etc etc etc?:confused:
By: jbritchford - 2nd February 2008 at 17:09
Actually, cetacean meat has been proven to be harmful to human health due to the large ammount of Cadmium and Mercury it contains. Why people still want to eat it boggles the mind.
By: laviticus - 2nd February 2008 at 09:58
Only a matter of time then before we get Mc minkey or beluga burger.
But an a serious not you don’t see the same furore at the hunting of shark out of the sea just for the fin.
By: Arabella-Cox - 1st February 2008 at 22:35
I remember seeing a report that stated that there were warehouses full of whale meat in Japan and that the Japanese are less likely to want to eat this traditional meat these days and more likely to eat western type foods (by western of course I mean McCrap).
By: sealordlawrence - 1st February 2008 at 21:02
If they are endangered dont kill them, if they are not endangered feel free to kill them as long as it is done in long term sustainable way.
By: laviticus - 1st February 2008 at 20:19
There reply to a similar question was ,they have to sell the whale meat to fund the research into wales as a sustainable food source for the japanese in the future, if needed.The ear wax thing was the only way to work out the age of a whale.
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February 1, 2008 at 7:21 am