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davidattokyo
likeitis, so go complain to the United Nations / FAO about it.
Posted in: Australia: diplomacy, not courts best way to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
nipandtuck,
Japan couldn't have maintained it's policy on whaling for a quarter of a century if that were the reality.
Posted in: Australia: diplomacy, not courts best way to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
cleo, I am not in favour of your pro-deforestation approach. It's better to utilise the living marine resources of the sea on a sustainable basis than it is to destroy natural scrub to grow more vegetables.
Posted in: Australia: diplomacy, not courts best way to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
Stonefish at 02:24 PM JST - 23rd January
Yes, I eat whale (had my first helping for 2009 just a few nights back).
Yes, as a natural consequence of a) over-exploitation of whales in the past and b) the commercial whaling moratorium not being lifted despite the abundance of minke whales and recovering levels of other whale stocks.
But why would we want whaling to be dispensed of? Eating whale is a good alternative to eating tuna and beef. 75% or more of the world's fisheries are already over-exploited or exploited to their fullest potential. Some species of whales represent under-exploited marine resources, which should be utilised so as to help take the pressure off over-exploited ones. This is not only a matter of taste, but also a matter of proper use of marine resources.
Posted in: Australia: diplomacy, not courts best way to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
kwatt.. how old they are, how many offspring they have produced, and the age at which they started producing offspring... as well :)
Posted in: Australia: diplomacy, not courts best way to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
cleo, As you know, not killing whales precludes the benefits to be reaped through their utilisation. Therefore your suggestion does not qualify as a useful candidate when considering the risk/reward trade-off.
Other candidates do allow benefits from the utilisation of whales and at the same time do not significantly increase the risk of extermination of all whales coming to fruition. These options are the ones that, realistically, will be considered.
Posted in: Australia: diplomacy, not courts best way to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
Patrick Smash at 01:17 PM JST - 23rd January,
So be it. There's no problem with that. My guess is that (in this hypothetical scenario) the different operators in different countries would see sense in combining their operations (e.g., forming an "international" whaling company).
I wonder if the Norwegians, Icelanders and coastal whalers of Japan who are already the subject of protest believe that.
Posted in: Australia: diplomacy, not courts best way to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
kwatt,
To meet each other half-way will be impossible, I believe, since Australia says it does not want any whales to be killed at all, and Japan wishes to kill whales sustainably. These two positions are mutually exclusive. Without a massive loss of face for Australia, there can be no compromise.
Personally I believe there is no reason to compromise either. Australia is welcome to be anti-whaling. Japan is welcome to be pro-whaling. Japan conducts whaling. Australia complains about whaling. Everyone gets to stick to their position. No one is adversely effected by the actions of others (unless one regards whales as people).
The only part of this puzzle that is missing is Japan is not whaling yet (commercially I mean). But it seems they are likely to resume commercial whaling in coastal waters, one way or the other, very shortly.
Stonefish,
I eat whales, so do various people I know, as well as lots that I don't.
pointofview,
At the end of the day, Australians don't care THAT much about whales. The fact is that recent BBC opinion polls show that Japan is one of the most favourably viewed nations in the world, and even more than 70% of Australians (above the global average) think that Japan has a positive influence on world affairs. The whaling issue is the ultimate storm-in-a-teacup.
Posted in: Australia: diplomacy, not courts best way to stop whaling
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davidattokyo
not yet, he has to beat Hakuho himself to win for certain
Posted in: Asashoryu takes sole lead after Hakuho falls
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davidattokyo
Nishikori lost today too...
Posted in: Date-Krumm ousted from Australian Open
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davidattokyo
fixed exchange rates are potentially weapons of financial mass-destruction.
Posted in: Would pegged exchange rates stabilize the global economy?
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davidattokyo
Aussieooo,
Your explanation for the moratorium (not "ban") is off the mark. Go read the IWC homepage if you really care about the history.
There is more than a single "whale population"...
Go read Article VIII of the ICRW.
Which scientists were these? If they are those Australia scientists with anti-whaling biases that I know of then they are hardly "INDEPENDANT"
Even Australian estimates show various whale populations are recovering strongly.
Numbers have increased. Even Australian scientists will confirm this.
Hopefully they join the same international whaling regime as Japan, Norway and Iceland etc.
All the VPA (virtual population anaylsis) studies of Antarctic minke whales based on catch-at-age data for example, which the IWC SC considers important for interpreting trends in Antarctic minke whale abundance, was obtained by lethal methods. There is no similar data set available that is produced by non-lethal methods, and I think the reason for that is because non-lethal methods aren't up to the task - at least today in 2009.
Scrote,
You should see the nets they've set up on their boats to keep pirates off.
Posted in: Australia to allow anti-whaling ship to dock
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davidattokyo
JapanHusker, Japan's programmes produce heaps of data that is used in studies by Japanese and non-Japanese scientists alike. Just because you don't know or don't care to find out these facts does not mean there is a "grand facade". You're just lazy or ignorant.
Posted in: Australia to allow anti-whaling ship to dock
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davidattokyo
Japan's protest is related to the dangerous activities of a ship on the high seas. Whaling is a separate issue.
Posted in: Australia to allow anti-whaling ship to dock
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davidattokyo
Well the IWC "urged Contracting Governments to take actions, in accordance with relevant rules of international law and respective national laws and regulations, to cooperate to prevent and suppress actions that risk human life and property at sea and with respect to alleged offenders", e.g. Sea Shepherd.
They've already given them once chance this year, SS clearly went beyond the limit of "protest" (at Watson himself is at pains to point out that he does not consider his operation to be a "protest"), and if they let them in and let them out again, well, "Australia shuuryou". They will be even more Japanese people than before making jokes about Australia and its lawless blood lines.
Posted in: Australia to allow anti-whaling ship to dock
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davidattokyo
Here's what Australia (agreed to but) will be ignoring if it lets SS refit and head back out:
STATEMENT ON SAFETY AT SEA
The Meeting recalled Commission resolution 2007-2 entitled “Resolution on Safety at Sea and Protection of the Environment” as well as resolution 2006-2 entitled “Resolution on the Safety of Vessels engaged in Whaling and Whale Research-related Activities”, both of which had been adopted by consensus by the Commission. It noted reports of dangerous actions by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in the Southern Ocean in recent months directed against Japanese vessels.
It called upon the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to refrain from dangerous actions that jeopardise safety at sea, and on vessels and crews concerned to exercise restraint. The meeting reiterated that the Commission and its Contracting Governments do not condone and in fact condemn any actions that are a risk to human life and property in relation to the activities of vessels at sea. It urged Contracting Governments to take actions, in accordance with relevant rules of international law and respective national laws and regulations, to cooperate to prevent and suppress actions that risk human life and property at sea and with respect to alleged offenders. The Meeting recalled that accreditation for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as an observer to the Commission had been denied since 1987 because of unacceptable behaviour and tactics.
Posted in: Australia to allow anti-whaling ship to dock
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davidattokyo
Who cares whether they can dock or not. Whether they get to leave again is a different issue.
Posted in: Australia to allow anti-whaling ship to dock
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davidattokyo
notimpressed,
Antarctic territory claims are frozen under the Antarctic treaty system.
Japan does have permission to conduct it's activities in the Antarctic, see ICRW Article VIII.
There is a international agreement that explicitly states that they can do what they are doing... You can't say it is not "solid" just because you don't like it. That's total disrespect for international agreements.
A bunch of morons being numerous in number is no reason to change one's sound opinion.
To realise the sustainable utilisation of the tasty marine resources that baleen whale stocks represent.
Hey go look at the anti-whalers. They are the ones that want people to stop eating whales even though sustainable whaling doesn't negatively effect them materially one little bit. The only reason they do it is because it makes them feel good about themselves in a twisted way. Or because they are animal rights nutcases. I guess you fall into the former category?
Backwards. I pay money for whale meat (and my taxes) and support Japan's programmes. You have obviously never eaten whale, or do not recognise the importance of sustainable utilisation of tasty marine resources.
Posted in: Japan wants anti-whalers barred from Australian, NZ and Chile ports
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davidattokyo
zurcronium,
Baleen whales contain very little mercury, especially those that feed in the Antarctic.
Whaling has cross-party support in Japan. It's not just the LDP that back it. And the research isn't "fake". They are quite serious, as are the foreign scientists who are also requesting and obtaining access to ICR data for their own studies.
Airion,
Your logic is inside out. Back in the day there was lots of whale meat. More than 200,000 tonnes at it's peak. Today there is miniscule supply in comparison. 4,000 tons is the "worst" figure that Greenpeace quotes in 2009 (two years ago they were quoting 6,000 tons when supply was higher). And so you complain that no one eats whale. Where are 126 million people supposed to get whale from now that supply is equivalent to a single slice of sashimi per person per year?
There's hardly any supply. At the high prices whale sells for, if there were no demand, no one would buy it. And if no one were buying it, no shops would be selling it. So it's now up to you to explain why I can buy whale in restaurants, my local supermarket, and even the airport on my way back to Tokyo the other day (and buy it I did).
That said, where is your proof that if supply were twice as much each year that twice as much would not be consumed by whale lovers? I for one would definitely eat whale more if it were more plentiful and cheaper.
Posted in: Japan wants anti-whalers barred from Australian, NZ and Chile ports
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davidattokyo
And hey, where are all the "commercial whaling in disguise" drones now? Busy reading through all those studies based on JARPA data that I linked to above?
Posted in: Japan wants anti-whalers barred from Australian, NZ and Chile ports