Posted on 08/27/2007 12:55:37 PM PDT by Reagan is King
SAPPORO -- Eco-tourists on a whale-watching vessel, looking forward to observing the mighty creatures in their natural habitat, were instead greeted by the sight of a harpooned whale being dragged in by a Japanese whaling vessel on Friday.
At about 10:44 a.m. on Friday, a whale was spotted spraying water from its blowhole near a whaling boat, about 3.5 kilometers away from the whale-watching vessel off the coast of Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula. But when the vessel approached, the passengers on board found that the whalers had harpooned the Baird's beaked whale, and it was hauled in by the whaling boat about 20 minutes later.
About 20 passengers on the whale-watching vessel looked on, voicing their pity as the whale was captured. A French woman who was on the vessel with her husband reportedly said the experience made her feel ill.
There were two other whale-watching boats nearby, but one of them left after a child started crying.
The 46-year-old captain of the passenger vessel was disappointed by the incident, which took place about 14 kilometers east of Rausu Port in Hokkaido.
"It's my job to show people whales and it's the whalers' job to catch them, but I wonder how this can be avoided," he said.
One of the two whaling companies operating the whaling ship, meanwhile, filed a protest against the whale watching vessel with the Rausu town government.
"The passenger boat approached us, which was extremely dangerous. We think this could be considered dangerous sailing, and we want you to issue a warning," the protest said. (Mainichi)
“It has a gun rack on it!!!
One of the techs that works for me suggested getting one to go between the buildings at our company. I told him he would get beat for sure if he drove one around the company.”
If you want a laugh look up “White and Nerdy” by Wierd Al Yankovic on youtube.
I don’t deny there is something stomache-turning about seeing a mammal slaughtered—especially by a blade—but what did they expect would happen?
Oh I don’t know....billions of young krill are sleeping well tonight.
Talk about a paradox.
No it wasn’t blubber. It was meat and even looked like steak just more tender and juicy. This was when I was visiting Japan back in 1978. I can understand why they love it.
But you just had to say it for the Halibut.
Here ya' go...we got your endangered chicken...right 'chere.
Ok, so it's a actually a grouse. So sue me.
someone in high places has a sense of humor.
Have you eaten the meat or the blubber? I found a piece of blubber on the beach in Barrow, AK in June one year after a whale was harvested. It was an 8” cube and had the skin on one side. The blubber was white and looked kind of like rubber with a similar consistency - not at all like any other mammal fat I’ve ever seen.
After laying on the beach for who knows how long it did not have a very appetizing aroma.
But, um, you just said you found it one year after a whale was harvested.. Why do you question how long it had been on the beach? Duh, one year! :^)
There’s a Segway dealership in Hurst (between Ft. Worth and Dallas). It’s next door to the place I buy appliance parts. They have the loneliest looking sales staff I have ever seen. I guess I shouldn’t laugh, but I have to wonder what was going through their head when they decided to open that thing up?
“If you can’t tell the difference...”
Actually, I have been pointing out the difference. That seems to make you angry. Now that you’ve released your anxiety by calling me names, can you tell me if you think our different attitudes toward different animals is based on some moral absolute or on custom and culture?
A beautiful bird. And given the general tenor of the posts on this thread, the appropriate conservative position is to just kill them all. Why, I have no idea. But such is the state of modern conservatism.
I have GOT to go to one of your parties.
I think a few roughneck whalers could “handle” several dozen greens.
;)
“A French woman who was on the vessel with her husband reportedly said the experience made her feel ill. “
Did the whale flip her off, perhaps, as it was being towed past the touring vessel?
Comment:
I wonder what this old gal would say about watching an unborn child being butchered (abortion) would the dismemberment make her sick, I think not.
How do you spell boring, WHALE WATCHING.
Whale watching is about as much fun as watching paint dry on a Mexican border fence post and a lot less exciting.
You could always tell from a block away that they were from France because of the body ordor.
Apologies for telling the truth.........
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