Japanese whalers set out to kill 260 whales for ‘scientific research’

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

Japanese whalers set out to kill 260 whales for ‘scientific research’
By Agence France-Presse
Friday, May 18, 2012 15:08 EDT

A pair of Japanese whaling vessels left Friday for the northwestern Pacific aiming to catch 260 whales for “scientific research”, a fisheries ministry official said.

The Yushin Maru and Yushin Maru No. 2 departed from Shimonoseki port in Yamaguchi, western Japan, to join the mother vessel Nisshin Maru, which has already set sail, the official said.

The fleet is scheduled to catch around 260 of the mammals, including 100 minke whales and 10 sperm whales, between now and early August, the official said.

Commercial whaling is banned under an international treaty but Japan has since 1987 used a loophole to carry out “lethal research” in the name of science.


Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/05/18/japanese-whalers-set-out-to-kill-260-whales-for-scientific-research/

[Occulus]

1. May their trip be an interesting time

In the sense of the curse.

[McCamy Taylor]

9. Their karma is in the negative numbers right now.

I believe there is a special Buddhist Hell for whale killers---and eaters.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

21. awesome, i get a VIP place in hell(assuming i end up there)

tho i am curious since i haven't heard of that specific one, what is the Naraka you mentioned called?

[wordpix]

17. +10000 and they'd better watch out for another tsunami

of some type

[XemaSab]

2. Cross-posted to E/E

http://www.democraticunderground.com/112715212

[4th law of robotics]

3. Hypothesis: shooting whales with sufficient large spears will eventually kill them

Results: yes, it will with a P < .00000001.

Conclusion: these results are vague. Needs followup.

[Richard D]

4. Paul Watson is in jail

I wonder if there's any coincidence there.


I've personally been boycotting as much stuff from Japan as possible. Sucks cause I need to replace my 1984 car soon.

[onestepforward]

5. Watson has been granted bail

and should be released this Monday:

http://www.seashepherd.org/news-and-media/2012/05/18/higher-regional-court-defers-judgment-to-ministry-of-justice-bogus-extradition-process-to-proceed-bu-1379

[wordpix]

18. does boycotting Japanese products but buying a Japanese car made in US count?

[rayofreason]

6. Yep....

....and in about every grocery store I've been in Japan in the basement of department stores, you can buy some of that scientific whale meat with which to conduct your own scientific experiments in your kitchen.

[tabasco]

7. I hope a typhoon hits the motherfuckers

and every one of those whale-killing assholes goes to Davy Jones' locker.

Fuck 'em.

[Scairp]

12. Well

We should not advocate humans dying either, even whalers, but I doubt there are very many typhoons in the Southern Ocean so I don't see your curse on them coming to pass. It would be nice if their ships broke down mechanically and they had to abandon the hunt. I would wish for that, but not death on them. I hate whaling as much as anyone but I also donated money to Japanese relief after the earthquake and tsunami devastated the northern part of Honshu. I happen to know many Japanese don't agree with continued whaling so I would call upon those people to work inside their own country to put a stop to whaling. We all know it's for human consumption so I why they even bother with this transparent crap about "research" is unknown.

[Violet_Crumble]

16. +eleventy billion n/t

[tabasco]

20. Sue me.

Humans are overpopulated and destroying the biosphere.

The world would be a better place with some people gone.

[Nihil]

24. They fall in the same category as mercenaries.

Nobody is forcing them to do it but once they volunteer for it, they are fair game
for every bit of abuse & contempt that is thrown at them.

[wordpix]

19. +10000

[McCamy Taylor]

8. Sick. Depraved. Disgusting. Japan is not starving, so why is it killing intelligent mammals?

[Scairp]

10. Sea Shepherds will be right on their ass

And they go with or without Paul Watson. He isn't in this for the glory and there is no way he would tell them to wait for him to go out and try to stop them from doing this despicable thing. We all know they are doing it for human consumption. That became blatantly public and obvious when the restaurant in Santa Monica was busted using whale meat in sushi. If they are willing to bring it to this country illegally to serve to people in a restaurant then they are most certainly eating it on a regular basis in Japan. It's such bullshit and I don't understand why the IWC allows them to get away with this year after year. Also Iceland and Norway still hunt whales. And of course there is the regular round up and slaughter of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands. That is particularly horrid and those people are prone to show violence if anyone tries to interfer with their way of life.

[Odin2005]

11. After what has happened to Japan recently, they should not be pushing their karma.

[Gbobbe]

13. Wake up call

it's murder, plain and simple. These are intelligent emotional beings.

[Turbineguy]

14. Doctor Mengele

is still doing his research.

[lonestarnot]

15. Someone needs to sink their boats.

[SwissTony]

22. Anyone got any idea of the results of such "research"?

It seems to be a handful of articles, almost all behind paywalls.

[flvegan]

23. I wish them absolute failure in their "hunt"

With no harm coming to any of the Japanese whalers.