Taiji sets dolphins free following int'l outcry over 'The Cove'

Thursday 10th September, 03:28 PM JST

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illsayit at 08:55 AM JST - 15th September

And who said Wiki is correct? Will you all quit talking about this? Im sure there is somebody out there you could go and share your charitable cause with? Try the Christians theyre always available? So who can sit here and argue it the longest, Ive got several years Im sure. Go and save something that actually needs saving. I grew up with dolphins too. Every morning I would have a swim in the surf, and there would be dolphins. So now lets argue, who knows dolphins better!
illsayit at 09:02 AM JST - 15th September

Besides, we all know that Japanese law is up for the debate now. There is a lot of fisherman in Japan, who I think dont agree with the recently established licenses and the cost-money making the government does, whereby they push the production to large industry. Fishing and its licensing should be decided locally. What comes in and out of your workable waters-if you do fishing for a living and are a small company, you wont be able to venture to far from your waters, it is the bulk fishing that the govt encourages with their licensing that is detrimental. Law is flexible yk.
Cicada at 10:50 AM JST - 15th September

illsayit:

And who said Wiki is correct?

If there was something incorrect, why don't you straighten it out then? But in my post I cited the sources referred to, which was the Japan Times.

Im sure there is somebody out there you could go and share your charitable cause with?Try the Christians theyre always available?

I've not opposed dolphin hunting; to the contrary, I pointed out hypocrisies of activists. And in the last post I merely pointed out that

(1)Taiji is the only place in Japan using engaged in dolphin drive hunting and Taiji kills only a small percent of the total Japan kill.

(2) Taiji has been violating the ban on killing dolphins with spears, knives, etc (as depicted in the Cove), for the government restricts killing to a specific technique of "driving a metal pin into the neck".

Besides, we all know that Japanese law is up for the debate now. There is a lot of fisherman in Japan, who I think dont agree with the recently established licenses and the cost-money making the government does, whereby they push the production to large industry...it is the bulk fishing that the govt encourages with their licensing that is detrimental.

Are you suggesting that this is the reason Taiji fishermen ignored the government restrictions on method of killing? It's too expensive to kill dolphins using the mandated method?
illsayit at 02:11 PM JST - 15th September

Whats the cost for the equipment? What's the cost for the license? I guess it could sound like suggesting, but assuming would be more correct.
Cicada at 04:20 PM JST - 15th September

illsayit:

Whats the cost for the equipment? What's the cost for the license?I guess it could sound like suggesting, but assuming would be more correct.

It could be, as you suggest or assume, that the scale of dolphin hunting in Taiji is not great enough to allow viable compliance with the law.

This would get back to my own earlier assumption that the plans for a slaughterhouse indicated an intention to bring Taiji to a point where compliance was viable.

The opponents (such as Yamashita the assembly member) saw that only as an attempt to expand production, but it could be related to the economic reality of dolphin hunting in Taiji being threatened by legislation requiring that particular methods be employed.

However, the current debate doesn't even touch on the Taiji violation of existing law, because the activists are opposed to all dolphin killing, regardless of legal compliance.

Still, it is not necessary for one to take sides in that debate. It's possible to view objectively both the inconsistencies of the activists, and the failure of the fishermen to adhere to the law.
Damien15 at 04:53 PM JST - 15th September

Illsayit,

Go and save something that actually needs saving. I grew up with dolphins too. Every morning I would have a swim in the surf, and there would be dolphins. So now lets argue, who knows dolphins better!

Dolphins needs saving. Because they are being slughtered inhumanely. If you're saying they don't need saving, you must not know about them at all. Have you seen an autistic child smiling first time in his life, with the presence of dolphins? A kid, who saw their parents being murdered in front of him, never said a word in his life, overcalming this trauma, in presence of dolphins? You can stare at anything all day long, doesn't mean that you want to learn about them. All it takes is ignorance, which your comments show that you posses great deal of.
davidattokyo at 06:10 PM JST - 15th September

Damien(15), I tried to answer your mercury question a couple of time but it got moderated on both occasions. Sorry!

But let me address this:

Have you seen an autistic child smiling first time in his life, with the presence of dolphins?

This doesn't preclude dolphin hunters from sustainable utilisation of dolphins, and vice versa. If people want to use dolphins to help autistic children, OK but there is no need to tie that to taking away the rights of hunters to hunt dolphins.
Damien15 at 09:59 AM JST - 16th September

Davidatokyo,

OK but there is no need to tie that to taking away the rights of hunters to hunt dolphins.

I think there is a need to tie that to taking away rights for slaugtering. Even if they helped just one child, it deserves respect. What if it was the child of one of those fisherman? Wouldn't they be moved by that? Could that fisherman keep on killing dolphins after one of them helped his kid smile for the first time? How can you appreciate them and slaugther them at the same time?
Also I read your post on mercury issue before it was taken out. People can chose what they eat, only if they are aware of the effects to their health. Forcing the dolphin meat to the market or schools, without letting the public know about the potential health effects, is criminal. Those people care more about their pockets than health of the people they are pushing the meat to.
davidattokyo at 11:53 AM JST - 16th September

What if it was the child of one of those fisherman?

They can keep a pet dolphin for their kid, and catch other dolphins for food. There are enough dolphins for both purposes.

How can you appreciate them and slaugther them at the same time?

Are you not appreciative for the lives that are taken to provide you with food? If you are not, you should be.

In conclusion, we seem to agree there is no reason to take away the rights of dolphin fishermen so long as their exploitation of dolphins is sustainable and thus allows for others to benefit from dolphins in a way of their choosing as well.
Damien15 at 12:18 PM JST - 16th September

Are you not appreciative for the lives that are taken to provide you with food?

Sure I am, very much. What I don't appreciate though, people, who think they have right to slughter the animals that most of the world love and respect. Why is it so much harder for those fisherman to respect the culture of rest of the world? Just FYI, no, we don not agree at all.
bgaudry at 12:27 PM JST - 16th September

Damien15- I love your argument that dolphins should be saved for their value to HUMANS! What do you eat Damo?
Damien15 at 02:09 PM JST - 16th September

bgaudry,

What's damo? Regardless, I believe we should only eat the animals we have to, spare the lives of others, as much as we can. They are not here for us to kill and eat, they are here, just like we are, trying to live their lives. Just because we have to eat some, doesn't justify that we can eat any and all. Humans respect life and intelligence. If we see an animal carrying same characteristics as us, wouldn't it be harder to kill them? Isn't there any respect to their life they have?
davidattokyo at 05:18 PM JST - 16th September

Damien,

Not every human community developed in places where there was suitable environment for eating whatever animals it is that you like to eat.

People who live in places where whaling sprang up had marine animals to eat, that's why they came to eat those animals. It's not like they had flat arable land with paddocks full of farmed animals available for them to eat.

The way cetacean eating people developed was different to the way your ancestors developed. Show some respect for this, if you want your way of life to be respected as well.

Just because we have to eat some, doesn't justify that we can eat any and all.

If so, why don't you volunteer to give up eating the animals you eat, rather than telling other people to give up the animals that they eat?

Isn't there any respect to their life they have?

Don't the animals you eat deserve just as much respect?
Dilbert14 at 07:32 PM JST - 16th September

Davidatokyo,

Show some respect for this, if you want your way of life to be respected as well.

To me, saving lives comes before respecting traditions. I'm happy if my life is respected only by non-dolphin killing people.

Don't the animals you eat deserve just as much respect?

intelligent ones deserves even more.

Moderator: Readers, please stay on topic. Your posts should refer to "The Cove."
Damien15 at 09:35 AM JST - 17th September

OMG, what a great news "Tokyo film festival decides at last minute to include 'The Cove' "