David @ Tokyo

Wailing About Whaling Not Necessary - "Killer Whales and Killer Sharks are both destructive"

Unlike the baleen whales, orcas (Orcinus orca) are "toothed" whales, with true teeth rather than fibrous plates for filter-feeding. They catch single prey, ranging from fish, squid, penguins, seals, dolphins, porpoises, and even whales, including the largest whale of all, the blue whale. (Australian Antarctic Division 2002 Kingston Tasmania 7050)

We are being led to believe that all whales are about to become extinct; that they are gentle intelligent creatures that do not threaten our existence at all; that they do not eat fish only plankton; that the Japanese are like the ''big bad wolf'' about to bludgeon them into extinction; that our votes are being bought because we accept funding for our fishing industry from Japan; and even that we are inherently evil if we wish to kill God''s intelligent creatures.

NONE OF THE ABOVE IS TRUE.

Scientific studies indicate that stocks of most species of whales are high and the sustainable use of our resources does not threaten their existence; some species of whales do eat fish and they will deplete fishing stocks - even tuna and small whales have been found in the stomachs of whales on examination of stomach contents; not all whales are gentle!! There are thousands of killer whales and like killer sharks can become a physical threat (see article on killer whales inside) to our fishermen and their boats. As tiny independent countries, whose existence has been threatened by rulings of the EU and WTO, we must be able to accept funding with a clear conscience. We do not accept that Japan is buying our votes by giving us a fishing port any more than we accept that Taiwan is buying our vote by giving us a stadium at Warner Park. We must co-exist for mutual benefits.

Finally all God's creatures are intelligent. Many have been adamant about the intelligence of pigs and they are kept as pets in many Western homes, yet there is no lobby to ban bacon, ham or pork. Culture influences the actions of the Japanese as they influence ours. Let us not be caught in the crossfire of traditionally warring countries. We will be guided by scientific data and the sustainable use of our resources.

posted by David  # 7:10 pm