Is it a natural resource if we can't use it? How does its presence or absence affect us?
It's our choice, FRiends, and the choice of our free brothers and sisters to defend those creatures whom we wish to defend, even if it doesn't make sense to all of us at the time. Sometimes, we turn out to be just a little grateful for the actions of "environmentalists."
In the case of whales, which are truly amazing creatures capable of all sorts of astonishing things our scientists are just barely beginning to understand, (and as the son of a USN underwater microwave systems pioneer) my money and respect are NOT on Jap pirate meatmongers, but on our ancient, mysterious, communicative friends. And
their friends.