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Iceland mulls whaling's future

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Red_Dave

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Iceland mulls whaling's future - Europe - Al Jazeera English

Iceland is one of the world's last whaling nations, yet the Atlantic island now makes more money out of whale tourism.

But with more than 100 restaurants in Reykjavik offering tourists exotic whale meat dishes, the country's small whaling fleet continues to hunt the giant sea creatures.

Now, the country's conservationists are fighting back on behalf of the whale, with the slogan "meet us, don't eat us"

As pro- and anti-whaling nations meet on the British island of Jersey to consider the future of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), the whaling lobby says hunting is part of a sustainable Icelandic tradition
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The video has some interesting interviews with Whalers, tourists etc. as well as making Whale meet look incredibly tasty. It also mentions that Whaling would have to stop if Iceland joins the EU. Personally I don't see the problem here. So long as the species being hunted is not endangered why should Whales be treated differently then any other animal?
 
Red_Dave said:
Iceland mulls whaling's future - Europe - Al Jazeera English



The video has some interesting interviews with Whalers, tourists etc. as well as making Whale meet look incredibly tasty. It also mentions that Whaling would have to stop if Iceland joins the EU. Personally I don't see the problem here. So long as the species being hunted is not endangered why should Whales be treated differently then any other animal?
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The problem with whalers is that they tend to ignore things like endangered species classification.
 
Deuce said:
The problem with whalers is that they tend to ignore things like endangered species classification.
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Can't be that difficult to police surely? you would have thought said contraband would be quite difficult to hide
 
Red_Dave said:
Iceland mulls whaling's future - Europe - Al Jazeera English



The video has some interesting interviews with Whalers, tourists etc. as well as making Whale meet look incredibly tasty. It also mentions that Whaling would have to stop if Iceland joins the EU. Personally I don't see the problem here. So long as the species being hunted is not endangered why should Whales be treated differently then any other animal?
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Have you ever met any militant animal rights advocates? They would rather people get hunted and eaten than any animal.
 
Red_Dave said:
Can't be that difficult to police surely? you would have thought said contraband would be quite difficult to hide
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Nah, just put the whale in the bait bucket. :)
 
Red_Dave said:
Can't be that difficult to police surely? you would have thought said contraband would be quite difficult to hide
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Can you tell the difference between killer whale meat and blue whale meat?
 
Deuce said:
Can you tell the difference between killer whale meat and blue whale meat?
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No, but I assume the carcass has to be taken into port first?
 
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Red_Dave said:
No, but I assume the carcass has to be taken into port first?
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No, they do not bring an intact carcass back to port. It gets carved up on the deck.
 
Iceland wont be joining the EU any time soon. With the Icelandic people refusing to compensate the UK and another EU country for deposits from UK citizens in Icelandic banks, the chances of Iceland going the EU are very small
 
Red_Dave said:
So long as the species being hunted is not endangered why should Whales be treated differently then any other animal?
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Whales are much more intelligent than most other animals; that should count for something IMO.

And aside from that...the way that we treat OTHER animals is incredibly disgusting, cruel, and bad for the environment too. I'd like to see more curbs on factory-raised meat in general. And I suspect (although have not investigated the issue enough to be sure) that whale hunting isn't any better.
 
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Whales are so damned intelligent. They exhibit curiosity and friendliness toward most boats and people, yet flee in terror at the mere sight of a harpoon vessel. Coincidence? I think not. I'm on the whales' side.
 
DiAnna said:
Whales are so damned intelligent. They exhibit curiosity and friendliness toward most boats and people, yet flee in terror at the mere sight of a harpoon vessel. Coincidence? I think not. I'm on the whales' side.
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So do pigs. There has been a video circulating Youtube (a dodgy way to begin any argument) of a bull entering a bullring, and immediately making a dash for freedom into the crowd, clearly he knew what was coming. There are disconcerting examples of intelligence in many animals (see the TED video 'the amazing intelligence of crows). If we are going to determine whether or not it is ok to eat something on the basis on IQ we need to be more consistent.
 
Red_Dave said:
So do pigs. There has been a video circulating Youtube (a dodgy way to begin any argument) of a bull entering a bullring, and immediately making a dash for freedom into the crowd, clearly he knew what was coming. There are disconcerting examples of intelligence in many animals (see the TED video 'the amazing intelligence of crows). If we are going to determine whether or not it is ok to eat something on the basis on IQ we need to be more consistent.
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For most people, their concern for a particular species depends entirely on how cute it is.
 
Deuce said:
For most people, their concern for a particular species depends entirely on how cute it is.
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A animals cuteness has nothing to do with concern for a particular species. If it crawl, walks,run,flies, or swims people will eat it regardless of cuteness. That's why we still eat ducks, chickens,cows, pigs and other animals.
 
Kandahar said:
Whales are much more intelligent than most other animals; that should count for something IMO.

And aside from that...the way that we treat OTHER animals is incredibly disgusting, cruel, and bad for the environment too. I'd like to see more curbs on factory-raised meat in general. And I suspect (although have not investigated the issue enough to be sure) that whale hunting isn't any better.
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So, close down ranchers, feed lots, packing houses. A great idea, there are plenty of other jobs those people could be doing, like picking lettuce for $3.00 an hour. Right?

Not to mention the soaring cost increases that would occur on already nearly unaffordable meat.
 
Polotick said:
So, close down ranchers, feed lots, packing houses. A great idea, there are plenty of other jobs those people could be doing, like picking lettuce for $3.00 an hour. Right?
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And maybe if we let factories dump all their waste into local reservoirs, they'll be able to use the savings to hire more people too! After all, no issue is too important to demagogue. :roll:

Not to mention the soaring cost increases that would occur on already nearly unaffordable meat.
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Meat SHOULD be more expensive. People aren't paying nearly enough given the amount of water it wastes and the amount of damage it does to the environment. If the price of environmental degradation was included in the cost of meat (rather than passed on to the general public), meat would indeed be more expensive.
 
Kandahar said:
And maybe if we let factories dump all their waste into local reservoirs, they'll be able to use the savings to hire more people too! After all, no issue is too important to demagogue. :roll:
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Unrelated drivel is unrelated.
Meat SHOULD be more expensive. People aren't paying nearly enough given the amount of water it wastes and the amount of damage it does to the environment. If the price of environmental degradation was included in the cost of meat (rather than passed on to the general public), meat would indeed be more expensive.
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Sure, that way only the wealthy could afford to eat meat. You should spend your time picketing fast food burger joints.
 
Places like Iceland and Japan will just keep whaling until every last whale is gone. This is especially true of Japan. Their cultures are so rooted in tradition that they will obstinately continue to pillage the seas without regard for endangered species or sustainable populations. Money and tradition reign supreme.

I also agree with the sentiment that the way we raise and treat animals for consumption is abhorrent - not just because the animals live in grotesque conditions, but because humans are consuming chemical-laden meat products that are adversely affecting the health of entire populations.

But anyway... I don't expect humans to learn.
 
Red_Dave said:
So do pigs. There has been a video circulating Youtube (a dodgy way to begin any argument) of a bull entering a bullring, and immediately making a dash for freedom into the crowd, clearly he knew what was coming. There are disconcerting examples of intelligence in many animals (see the TED video 'the amazing intelligence of crows). If we are going to determine whether or not it is ok to eat something on the basis on IQ we need to be more consistent.
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Pigs, cows, bulls are not on the endangered species list. Whales are. Pigs, cows, bulls are sustainable livestock. Whales aren't. They cannot be farmed and raised by humans, they are a wild species. When they are gone, they are gone forever. The international community recognizes this, hence the ban on commercial whaling which Japan brazenly defies every year under the pathetic guise of "research".
 
DiAnna said:
Pigs, cows, bulls are not on the endangered species list. Whales are. Pigs, cows, bulls are sustainable livestock. Whales aren't. They cannot be farmed and raised by humans, they are a wild species. When they are gone, they are gone forever. The international community recognizes this, hence the ban on commercial whaling which Japan brazenly defies every year under the pathetic guise of "research".
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Why can't they farm raise whales like they do salmon,cows or some other animal?
 
Polotick said:
Sure, that way only the wealthy could afford to eat meat.
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That's fine. Society shouldn't be subsidizing your meat consumption via wasted water, higher crop prices, and environmental degradation anyway. Society has better things to worry about. Eating meat should be a luxury; if you want to do it, fine, but don't expect your fellow citizens to pick up the tab for part of the cost.

You should spend your time picketing fast food burger joints.
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I've got better things to do.
 
DiAnna said:
Pigs, cows, bulls are not on the endangered species list. Whales are. Pigs, cows, bulls are sustainable livestock. Whales aren't. They cannot be farmed and raised by humans, they are a wild species. When they are gone, they are gone forever. The international community recognizes this, hence the ban on commercial whaling which Japan brazenly defies every year under the pathetic guise of "research".
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Not all species of whale are endangered. I have no problem with them hunting non-endangered species... whale meat is delicious, BTW
 
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