Dolphins & Whales.

[Mantas 3]

I think you are all being a bit harsh on the Japanese here, it's all being done for scientific research after all.

[2pints-mate 0]

Does this issue not get any main coverage on Japanese tv?

If no, why not?

[farquah 0]

Something we are working hard at getting at the moment, is coverage here. Met with a guy form the Yomiuri here on Firday and it may be possible to have a press conferance/ lecture at the Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club this year. This would be a major breakthrough as it is where most stories get exposure, also be pretty exciting to be speaking in the same place where people such as the Dali Lama, Al Gore, et al. have stood speaking! Also have interviews with papers in Toyama and I am doing lectures at various community centers to which all media are invited.

 

The reason why it hasn't been so documented in the media here I think is the way the story has been attacked in the past. Basically with foreigners criticising the dolphin cull on humanitarian grounds which the Japanese people dismiss as an affront to their "customs and traditions". However our story is the clear risk it poses to human health, and the fact the government is ignoring it, which is just irresponsible. We are talking of Mercury levels above those of the Minamata cases.

 

P.S Also thanks to MeJane and CB for doing those lessons, great to be able to open it up a little more and through any means. Great job!

[kokodoko 67]

There were whales in Middle harbour today at sydney and they had them on the news.

 

They are a great tourist attraction and there are lots more money to be made from looking at them rather than killing them.

[slow 0]

Farquah, I've got links about dolphining in Taiji from my Australian friend recently and I was shocked and sent petition via email.

I wanted to get Japanese info about this and did research in Japanese.

 

This homepage from Taiji explains why they need to do whaling and dolphining...

http://www.cypress.ne.jp/jf-taiji/sub03.html

 

And also found this. I'll send this link to all my Japanese friends.

http://search.e-gov.go.jp/servlet/Public?CLASSNAME=Pcm1010&BID=550000672&OBJCD=&GROUP

 

Whaling and Dolphining need to be authorized under the fisheries law "漁業法第５８条第１項の規定".

Now Fisheries Agency is asking for public comment. This licence for Whaling and Dolphining used be valid for 5years but now they changed the valid term to one year.

However, they are going to give license next year and we should tell them they should stop giving license now. The dead line date is November 27th.

I think this is more constructive approach to come out against this law.

I hope we can stop this soon.

[Tubby Beaver 209]

Without wanting to be a wet blanket, but I find it hard to believe that you are campaiging against this on grounds that it affects people's health. Why not just be tue to your values and campaign for it on humanitarian grounds??

 

I agree that the mercury levels are too high for human consumption but then why is their no campaign against Tuna etc etc?

[farquah 0]

Tubby<< I am campaigning against this on health grounds, and I have been researching this for about 2 years. As I said in my previous post, any kind of argument discussing it from a humane perspective does not work here. My goal is to end the slaughter yes, but the only way this is possible in Japan is through a scientific approach. The ideology of previous arguments has no hold in Japanese society, and its far easier to fight for something when scietific fact is backing you up. Also campaigning to stop the sale of toxic meat and the feeding of it to children is very much campaigning on humanitarian grounds anyway. Of course we all want the same thing and that is the slaughter stopped, by whatever means necassary.

 

AS far as the Tuna and mercury question (apologies if this is old news): Mercury accumulates more higher up the food chain you go. In a process called bio-accumulation, microscopic organisms convert inorganic mercury into methylmercury, which accumulates up the food chain in fish, fish-eating animals, and people. The concentrations of methylmercury in large fish can be over a million-fold larger than in the surrounding wate. Thus the level of mercury in a dolphin is higher than that of a Tuna. There are LOTS of organisations who campaign against the consumption of tuna from such areas as Ecuador or Mexico because they DON'T use dolphin friendly nets to catch the tuna. This means they are catching the bigger older tuna where mercury could accumulate in higher levels, the dolphin safe nets catch the smaller younger tuna which aren't as contaminated.

[farquah 0]

 Originally Posted By: slow

Whaling and Dolphining need to be authorized under the fisheries law "漁業法第５８条第１項の規定".
Now Fisheries Agency is asking for public comment. This licence for Whaling and Dolphining used be valid for 5years but now they changed the valid term to one year.
However, they are going to give license next year and we should tell them they should stop giving license now. The dead line date is November 27th.
I think this is more constructive approach to come out against this law.
I hope we can stop this soon.

Slow: With Yamashita san of Taiji council we have allready sent numerous petitions to stop the license being given to Taiji, however it has had no effect, especially now they have had the approval to build a brand new slaughter house which they have allready received government funds for. However the fisheries agency this year as a result did warn the Taiji fishermen that they would not renew their license in future if they continue to be in the press for the dolphin killings and have such a high public profile. This is why we are trying to attack the situation more vigerously now in the media, especially trying to get it into Japanese media so that the pressure will be too much. The way to do this is through a public health message with scientific data to back it up.

It is great you have told all your friends about it, it is exactly this public awareness that will get results.

[indosnm 0]

Dont forget Migaloo

 

[Mantas 3]

This is B.S.

 

Not you Farquah. I'm with you on the whole anti dolphin/whale thing.

The thing that gets me is that the whole Japanese whaling industry operation is pathetically disguised as 'scientific research' when we all know full well that the industry exist for profit and some nostalgic notion of tradition.

Now we have well intentioned guys like you Farquah, having to use 'scientific research' to change tack in the opposition, to appease the Japanese and their lies!

 

Cant we just cut through the bullshit and tackle the issue head on?

 

I admit I don't fully understand the ' face' aspect of Japanese culture, I don't live amongst them like you do. I've had discussions on this before with BP and Ocean11, about this this very issue in fact .

I thought 'shame' was also a big part of Japanese culture. Perhaps we would be better off reminding the world (and about 99% of the Japanese public) of their 'shameful' overfishing practices.

 

This is from here

 

Of all the countries, Japan poses the greatest threat to the depletion of fish in the seas. Japan is the world's biggest consumer of fish and is under pressure to play a more active international conservation role and discourage its suppliers from overfishing the high seas

 

Not only do the Japanese pose a problem for other countries' fish stocks, but also threaten the world's fish stocks as a whole. Each day, tens of thousands of tonnes of marine life, prised from rocks and scooped from oceans by factory ships working 24 hours a day, are auctioned in the early hours. There is a vast range, including trays of tiny translucent squid, crates of oysters, clams and molluscs. Also apparent are tanks full of salmon, snapper and octupus. Varieties of bonito, tuna and marlin are high in demand and most will end up on serving plates as fastidiously prepared sushi or sashami. Japan's taste for seafood is astonishing and only appears limited by price and availability. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates Japan devours 30 per cent of the world's fresh fish, close on 80 kilograms a year for each man, woman and child. Australians manage just 18 kilos.

[Mantas 3]

Australia ,like many other countries, also had a proud whaling tradition. Pride gave way to commonsense and respect.

[Oyuki kigan 0]

 Originally Posted By: Tubby Beaver

Without wanting to be a wet blanket, but I find it hard to believe that you are campaiging against this on grounds that it affects people's health. Why not just be tue to your values and campaign for it on humanitarian grounds??

I agree that the mercury levels are too high for human consumption but then why is their no campaign against Tuna etc etc?

I agree with Farquah, humanitarian reasons rarely work alone. If it did, we would all be vegetarians.

[me jane 0]

My student has made a video. Check out the Black pearl thread!

[Tubby Beaver 209]

I know about how toxins collect in apex predators, and although Tuna is not top of the tree, it has been found to contain large levels of mercury, perhaps not as much as Dolphins and Whales.

 

Anyways, good luck on your campaign

[tsondaboy 0]

I might not be telling you something new but, have you tried to directly contact any of the morning TV shows? At least Minomonta seems to be pretty sensitive about things that have to do with “public health” and might be interested in increasing his numbers with your story.

[Senator 0]

The Japanese people I know I like. I am interested in Japan a lot. Just things like this really put me off, I just can't catch the wavelength.

[thursday 1]

Senator, you need to read the whole thread. Not many Japanese know about this. And I'm sure if they did, they'd do something about it.

[Senator 0]

Would they? The response on that thread seems not totally supportive of her concern. Is there a lot of tatemae at work with concern like that?

[Fossil 0]

Im incensed that the Japanese govt had the gall to ask Australia to use it's navy to protect their whaling vessels from Greenpeace and other activist groups. I hope the response from the foreign minister reflected the strong emotions that whaling has raised in Oz, ie Bu%#er off!

[bushpig 0]

 Originally Posted By: Mantas

Cant we just cut through the bullshit and tackle the issue head on?

I admit I don't fully understand the ' face' aspect of Japanese culture, I don't live amongst them like you do.
I thought 'shame' was also a big part of Japanese culture. Perhaps we would be better off reminding the world (and about 99% of the Japanese public) of their 'shameful' overfishing practices.

Mantas, that's the whole point. The head-on approach is not/does not work here. If attacking it another way is going get the same result then why not? The shame thing does apply, but in the sense of "Shame on you for the bad publicity" So that way should work. There have been so many scandals here where the only shame came from being caught and bringing bad publicity to the company, not so much from breaking the rules or doing something wrong in the first place. And no matter how much the rest of the world fusses about it all, the Japanese media just hasn't tended to touch it. So the average person is not aware of it. This is the crux of the problem.

[NoFakie 45]

That's a nice bit of pragmatism there Farquah. There have been multiple scandals recently about food safety, whether it be the Yukijirushi thing, Chinese unagi, or all the relabelled food past its expiry date. Its a hot topic.

 

Are the mercury and toxins from a point source (or sources) near Taiji or just the general level in the ocean? If its Minamata levels, they must be very high.

[Domokun_72dpi 0]

If the Australian Government protects whaling vessels in our oceans, I will leave this country. I Mimgaloo is killed, then I hope the world wakes up and takes action.

 

also, I'm sorry, but if shame is a stronger motive than empathy for reasons to stop whaling, then it really is time to drop your pride, grow a heart, and join the 1% of the rest of the world who actually care.

 

Humans are meant to co-exist with creatures on this planet, but greed and pride will be it's downfall.

 

I'm moving to a parralell universe. In that world, whales will have torpedo launchers, and dolphines will have laser beams for eyes.

[Rag-Doll 0]

Where is that gormless laser powered bloody shark when you need him? Rather than fighting tigers in the shallows he should be out in the sea doing some good by sinking the Japanese whaling fleet.

[joshnii 2]

[Domokun_72dpi 0]

lol. Awesome =)