Why are people against killing whales?

[Booze Zombie]

Part of the ecosystem?

Yeah.

 

[Blatherscythe]

Every species has a role to play in the ecosystem, whales eat plankton, fish and squid. Whales keep the fish and squid populations down so they don't overpopulate and kill themselves off.

You know who also eat planktons? Fish, and you know who also eat fish? No? Well it's us humans and we can keep the fish population "under control".

Whales were there first so they're there for a reason. Fish isn't nessicarily a part of every humans diet.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

I come from a town that was at one point the "Whaling Capital of the world." we have the largest whaling museum in the country and we are proud to have made such a huge impact on the country.

That being said, we nearly hunted them to extinction. The main reason we even bother hunting them was for the oil in their blubber and when we discovered Petrolum (Which could be obtained by safer and cheaper means) the hunting just dried up. Some countries choose to hunt whales, but it if far to expensive to hunt them for sport and the payout isn't really worth it.

 

[masher]

Are they in any risk of being stop existing?

They... kinda are..?

Because they're, you know, endangered.

That. That right there. Wonderful first post for you sir.

A lot are but not all. Stop saying that. "Whale" as a family or genus is not in danger of being wiped out. the species of Minke Whales are not endangered, in fact they even get a listing of Least Concern. This is the whale that most whaling countries primarily hunt.

Then I guess it's just an accepted thing, in some places. :/
There are a lot of countries that just don't take whale hunting kindly. I guess it's just become a kind of social construct for them. Or maybe I'm just flaunting more ignorance? XP
Whatever, I'm not going out Whale poaching anytime soon, although, I'm not going to be riding any anytime soon either, so... As long as none die out, I'll remain passively neutral toward the whole ordeal.

 

[insaneHoshi]

Every species has a role to play in the ecosystem, whales eat plankton, fish and squid. Whales keep the fish and squid populations down so they don't overpopulate and kill themselves off.

You know who also eat planktons? Fish, and you know who also eat fish? No? Well it's us humans and we can keep the fish population "under control".

Whales were there first so they're there for a reason. Fish isn't nessicarily a part of every humans diet.

what do you mean there first? in evolution? IIRC whales are just like cows or something that decided to live in the sea instead of land, Fish have been here for much, MUCH longer

 

[pffh]

I have absolutely no problem with the killing and eating of animals, it's a fully necessary part of life. A very fucking delicious one too, but hunting to the point of extinction just seems... excessive. And we pride ourselves on being intelligent, so you would think we know when to stop.

No one is saying we should hunt them to the point of extinction. What whaling countries want is to be allowed to whale the whales that are not endangered in peace.

Every species has a role to play in the ecosystem, whales eat plankton, fish and squid. Whales keep the fish and squid populations down so they don't overpopulate and kill themselves off.

You know who also eat planktons? Fish, and you know who also eat fish? No? Well it's us humans and we can keep the fish population "under control".

Whales were there first so they're there for a reason. Fish isn't nessicarily a part of every humans diet.

Who cares if they were there first we do it better. That house you live in I'm pretty sure rabbits or something lived there long before your house was there so should you stop living there?
And everyone that can eat fish should because some of it is delicious if prepared right

 

[Calatar]

Still, the main reason why people don't like hunting whales is people feel empathy for whales. If you're capable of feeling empathy for non-human species, you'll probably feel like not shooting tiny bombs into whales which causes them to painfully bleed to death. If you aren't, then you don't give a damn, and they're just objects waiting to be eaten and processed by humans.

Death is death man, you cant cut it any other way. And i think bleeding to death is actually a painless way to go, slit the neck and just wait for the animal do get tired and fall down, how my great gran did it in the old country.

It's the wound that hurts, not the bleeding. If you bleed to death through a clean incision in your carotid artery, it's going to hurt a lot less than having somebody shoot a tiny bomb which explodes inside of you, damaging all your surrounding tissue.

Humans tend to have the outlook that certain deaths are worse than others. This is why excessively cruel weapons are outlawed for use on humans by international law.

 

[Silva]

Most whale species are endangered, and you have more than one source of food. Whatever "survival" thoughts you have about it are outdated since, well, say, the Industrial Revolution, so get with the picture. Since then, starvation is hardly a common thing here in the Western world, and it's time to stop pretending that's an excuse to kill something that will eventually die out.

There's also issues related to the cruelty of killing with harpoons, which are very painful and generally kill whales slowly. When they get away from the whalers after an initial hit, which they can do if it's only a glancing blow, it makes things worse since they die even slower. Bleeding to death is common in the icy waters of the far north and south.

The crazy thing is that whale is considered delicacy in your country and in Japan, but I've heard very little in the way of nice feedback on the taste or texture of it as food. So this is a case of tradition that just doesn't fit in an environmentally conscious modern world. A tradition that has to die out.

I will say that I am very proud that my Prime Minister has issued an ultimatum to Japan to make a plan to stop whaling within five years or be taken to the International Court of Justice. Let justice come, then.

 

[chaos order]

im personally against eating anything that hasnt been domesticated for food. i mean with domestication we've pretty much made that animal immune from going extinct(or at least exist for as long as we exist. so ya im against killing whales cause there is a HIGH risk of that animal going extinct

 

[bz316]

Whales tend to be significant and important part of the ecosystems they inhabit. The loss of whales could have dire, long-term consequences on ocean environments. Plus, they communicate through singing. That's kind of neat

 

[Radelaide]

Because they're, you know, endangered.

No, they are in fact NOT!

"The whales are endangered" logic falls apart once you remind people of the fact that their are many different species of whales, and that only some of them are endangered. The species we are hunting aren't one of them.

Actuuuuuuuuuuually, most species of whale are endangered. There are international laws against hunting certain species of whale. I know that Norway and Iceland hunt whales commercially, but don't hunt an endangered whale, and don't disguise it as "scientific research."

 

[pwnzerstick]

Everyone knows the Japanese hunt whales and dolphins because they bombed Hiroshima, just watch South Park.

 

[Hollock]

BECAUSE THEY'RE NATURES GENTLE GIANT!

[sub][sub] and unlike other creatures of the sea *I'm looking at you tuna* they have souls[/sub][/sub]

 

[Treefingers]

You really need to pose this question?

You find a way to successfully and sustainably domesticate whales and i'll happily eat them.

 

[Silva]

Whales are endangered, and you have more than one source of food. Whatever "survival" thoughts you have about it are outdated since, well, say, the Industrial Revolution, so get with the picture. Since then, starvation is hardly a common thing here in the Western world, and it's time to stop pretending that's an excuse to kill something that will eventually die out.

There's also issues related to the cruelty of killing with harpoons, which are very painful and generally kill whales slowly. When they get away from the whalers after an initial hit, which they can do if it's only a glancing blow, it makes things worse since they die even slower. Bleeding to death is common in the icy waters of the far north and south.

The crazy thing is that it's considered delicacy in your country and in Japan, but I've heard very little in the way of nice feedback on the taste. At the end of the day, this is just a case of tradition that doesn't fit into an environmentally conscious world. A tradition that has to die out.

I will say that I am very proud that my Prime Minister has issued an ultimatum to Japan to stop whaling within five years or be taken to the International Court of Justice. Let justice come, then.

Yes, people who don't know anything about the situation should be the ones who take control. The whales they hunt aren't endangered. The Minke Whale is a least concern creature. Why fuck up their culture just to make yourself feel better?

You assume that my Prime Minister doesn't understand the situation.

Considering that the whales being hunted are often killed in Australian waters, it's actually OUR culture of conservation and OUR natural resources that are under attack.

The Minke Whale isn't the only whale species getting killed by the Japanese. Fin and sei whales are going to be part of the hunt soon, and they ARE endangered:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/7624474/Endangered-whales-could-be-killed-legally.html

Not to mention, while the Minke Whales are not particularly endangered, my point about the cruel style of killing still stands. It is inhumane to destroy a reasonably intelligent mammal slowly and painfully just to preserve slightly more of its meat. Until a painless method is learned and used properly, whaling is indefensible from an animal rights standpoint.

Furthermore, please tell me exactly how killing an animal is relevant to Japanese ideals. Please prove that removing said action will do critical damage to Japanese culture, that it will not continue as it always has. It's bullshit to pretend that stopping whaling will cause some revolt in Japan, or in any way do serious damage. If the Court takes the right direction, fishermen will have to change their targets slightly and make slightly less money. Boo-hoo.

 

[insaneHoshi]

Because they're, you know, endangered.

No, they are in fact NOT!

"The whales are endangered" logic falls apart once you remind people of the fact that their are many different species of whales, and that only some of them are endangered. The species we are hunting aren't one of them.

Actuuuuuuuuuuually, most species of whale are endangered. There are international laws against hunting certain species of whale. I know that Norway and Iceland hunt whales commercially, but don't hunt an endangered whale, and don't disguise it as "scientific research."

have you not been reading these posts? numerous people have said the milke whale is not endangered.

 

[Baron Von Evil Satan]

Because they are afraid that we will find out how to use their oil as fuel for our delivery space ships and they will all go extinct.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to see a man about a baby seal *Picks up club*