Do you regularly scan dated posts for commenting?
I don't think hunting whales is quite in the same category as hunting deer, bear, etc.
Your point about whale oil being a justification for killing them in the past is really a good example of why there is no reason to kill them now.
No one, to my knowledge, eats whale meat except some Arctic tribes, and, of the course, the Japanese, who have a penchant for consuming ANY kind of biological product because of alleged health benefits, or merely because they want to.
Its my understanding that lot of the whales harvested wind up in dog food - hardly a justification for killing them.
In my opinion, the MAIN reason these people want to hunt whales is because they always HAVE and want to generate revenue to keep their ships and crews employed in this business.
Let them fish for orange roughy.
In short, since we no longer need whale oil, and since whales are still in short supply, and since they are such magnificent,. intelligent creatures, its my OPINION that whale fishing should continue to be banned.
If their numbers increase to the point where they pose some kind of problem for marine traffic - highly unlikely, this subject can be revisited in the future.
I resent people trying to pigeon hole me as some kind of Greenpiece nut or anti-hunting fanatic as I am not. I have no problem with hunting. But as an intelligent individual, I think each case should be reviewed on its own merits, as stewards of the world, human beings need to exercise some discretion in situations like this.
My post was mainly to state that personal or cultural preferences shouldn't be codified into a universal law. Or any law at all for that matter. Not to put you in the "Peta camp". I have an a "to each their own" philosophy. It doesn't concern me what others eat as long as the species isn't in danger of extinction. Many people right here in the US don't want deer hunted even though their populations now outnumber the pre-Columbian herds.
The Japanese hunt primarily minke whales which are far from endangered. Whales that are very low in numbers, such as the Blue whale and Grey whales are not hunted.
The relative intelligence of an animal has little to do with it's viewpoint as a source of food. Whales intelligence isn't any greater than a pig's. And a horse's is much less than a cow's yet most would be horrified(well maybe not the French) at eating horse flesh. I have expericence with these animals this because I was raised (and still live) on a farm and know through experience and by reading science articles about the size and intelligent of animals compared to their brain size.
It also has alot more to do with cultural conditioning. Animals that are perceived as "cute" or beautiful or graceful like dolphins are less likely to end up on the plate than less adorable creatures, like tuna fish or crabs.
Before the anthropomorphism or"Disneyfication" of cute animals, few ever thought of giving whales and animals in general, human like traits or rights.
As for "dated posts" I didn't see any 'expiration" date on posts ....