Some people eat beef, some eat whale. If there is enough why can't we hunt a few. These are two lines from another article that I found that deal with the recent ruling against the Japanese whale hunt. Read this article and think:1) How do you feel about this issue?
2) Why would Australia raise this legal issue against Japan?
3) How will this ruling affect Japan?
4) Do you think this will stop/slow down the whaling that goes on in the world?
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21600182-last-it-looks-curtains-countrys-scientific-slaughter-harpooned
This is my weekly post,
ReplyDeleteWhen reading the article that Mr.Lahaie provided, my first question was what the purpose of this “scientific” slaughter was. Exactly what do they need the whales for that is scientific? I personally believe this is more of an issue to do with people being routed in tradition as the article states “the government has long argued that whaling is an ancient Japanese tradition” and that going to restaurants such as Kujiraya is a trip down memory lane for many middle-aged diners. I think Australia raised this legal issue against Japan because they have come to the realization that the whaling industry is costing a large amount of money yet it’s not being used for any scientific and hardly any people are continuing to eat whale so they are being slaughtered for no reason.
In another article I found it states that scientific whaling is a charade. Many environmentalists have been trying to put an end to it for a long time and were overjoyed when Australia made it a legal issue. The only way that this ruling is seriously affecting Japan is they are arguing that Australia is imposing on their cultural norms. It is still considered a delicacy in Japan even if they popularity whale meat had has declined. I don’t feel that it will really slow down the whaling around the world because as the article that was provided stated “Japan will abide by the decision but continue “scientific” whaling in the western North Pacific”. I believe that if people want to continue to culling whales or any other animal for that matter, they will find a way to get around any legal issues that they are presented with.
http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21600182-last-it-looks-curtains-countrys-scientific-slaughter-harpooned
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/japan-s-antarctic-whaling-program-not-scientific-world-court-says-1.2592382
I agree with you Anneli! As I was saying in my post I also think that scientific whaling is just another way for the Japanese to have an excuse to whale hunt. It's really disturbing to see how people can get away with doing these things so easily.
Deletei agree anneli! it almost sounds like the shark fin incident where poachers are doing whatever they want with little or no penealty from the government.
DeleteThis is my weekly post:
ReplyDeleteWhen I was about 12, I went on a whale watching trip with my parents and I was always fascinated by these creatures. The real issue within this article is that the Japanese knew that whale hunting for commercial reasons was illegal so they decided to hunt for “scientific research”. Ironically enough the Japanese have only published 2 scientific reports about whales since the end of commercial whale hunting in 1986. It’s even more disturbing that once the whale meat is done being used for “scientific research”, it gets served in high-end restaurants for a large price. Honestly, it disgusts me to think that people are able to find these loopholes. Many whales are endangered species and I find it really disturbing that it is so easy to bend the rules and harm these creatures. Obviously, the whales cannot defend themselves so it is our responsibility as human beings to help them fight this battle.
I think Australia would raise this legal issue against Japan for two reasons. Firstly, Australia is a country full of many environmentalists. My cousin recently went to Australia to work for a year and she said that people take preserving the environment there much more seriously. Secondly, whale watching and marine related tourism is really popular in Australia. Whales represent an important part of this ecosystem, which, with their disappearance and the effect of their disappearance on the ecosystem, causes some financial issues for these touristic attractions. Also, Australia is located by the Great Barrier Reef. The disappearance of whales in this region could greatly affect the reef. Australia probably took this issue up with Japan in order to preserve this landmark for both financial and environmental issues.
This ruling is also going to affect Japan’s economy. In Japan, whale is a delicacy in some of the most expensive restaurants. The use of whale in these dishes makes them extremely pricy which definitely earns a lot of money for the country. Also, the Japanese government has spent 400 million dollars on maintaining this industry. This money is taking a toll on the Japanese economy so the recent laws against whale hunting do not help their cause.
As much as I want to be optimistic about this law, I don’t think tit will really slow down or stop the whaling in the world. I know for a fact that people can become ruthless when money is involved. In the article, they mentioned that Norway and Iceland have continued hunting whales even though it is illegal there. We can see from the article that people will go to any lengths (including pretending to do “scientific research”) in order to get money. I really hope we can find a way to stop this issue from occurring but for now all we can do is take small steps into fighting it for the whale’s sake.
Here are my references about the Great Barrier Reef and the law:
http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/un-court-orders-japan-to-end-antarctic-whale-hunt-140331.htm
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au
That it crazy that the Japanese "Whalers" can get away with this kind of crime. As big and beautiful as whales are, they are also endangered and we can't hunt them (to extinction) otherwise certain oceanic ecosystems will go haywire!
DeleteGreat post Anne!
I agree that if the whaling continues there will for sure be a major change in eco systems all over the world, which could cause even more problems in the future for our environment and even our economy. Cool post :)
ReplyDeleteThis is my weekly post:
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that if the Japanese to not have a legitimate reason to hunt whales - and one which they will act on - then they should not be hunting them. As Anne stated, the Japanese have only published two scientific reports on whales since 1986. I believe that the "scientific research" bit is just excuse to get more money. I think that Australia would raise this issue against Japan because they feel morally inclined to do so. Many countries do not see meat as a necessity and would rather find alternatives to hunting whales. The people of Australia are especially involved in preserving the environment. Naturally, they would be the ones to speak up if they felt another country was not being considerate towards the environment and our ecosystem. I think this will not only affect Japan's income, but also affect the people in japan who support whaling.
Many people rely on whale meat for sustenance and don't necessarily see whale hunting as a moral issue. A lot of them see it as a tradition to it whale meat and would not mind, or would prefer, to keep whale meat on the market. I believe that this might set an example to other countries to be more careful about what they do to our ecosystem (or at least come up with more plausible excuses for their suspicious behaviour). However, I am afraid that this case will do nothing to deter other countries from whaling, or anything related. They might simply ignore situations like this. Most corporations are not willing to give up their whale hunting for the sake of morality and ethics.
Here are my references:
http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/31/world/asia/japan-whale-hunt/