Thar She Blows!

by Robert Koehler on December 29, 2007

in Asides, Japan

No, this isn’t a prostitution link — one Australian beer brewer apparently doesn’t like the Japanese hunting whales.

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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

1 hoju_saram December 29, 2007 at 4:12 pm

The ad is in bad taste, but can someone tell me how it’s racist?

Whaling is a red-button issue in Australia at the moment, mainly because Australians are beach goers and like to look after the local environment. A good thing too – a few weeks on the west coast of the US made that pretty plain to me.

The Japanese are hunting whales in Australian territorial waters, against the strong protests of the Australian government and people, for very dubious reasons (scientific research? give me a fucken break.) Theyre making a 30 million dolar profit from whale-meat, and damaging a 150 million dollar whale watching industry in Oz. Nice.

This ad might be in poor taste, but the very fact that its getting talked about on blogs that have nothing to do with australia and japan means its done its job.

I can understand some of the pro-whaling arguments, but I’ll bet my bottom dollar GI Korea hasn’t been swimming or surfing with humpbacks on the east coast of Oz before.

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2 GI Korea December 30, 2007 at 6:12 am

I don’t surf but I have seen whales off the east coast of Australia before, especially off the coast of Port Macquarie. I have also did the swim with the whale shark tour off of Ningaloo Reef in W.A. Warrnambool is also a good place to see whales. I have even did the whale tour in Kaikoura in NZ as well. All very cool.

The Japanese are hunting only two species of whales which have expanding populations. The vast growth of the whale watching industry that I have seen with my own eyes is proof that this industry is not being effected in Australia.

Also the Japanese are hunting off the coast of Antarctica which Australia claims for itself which is not recognized internationally. If the Japanese were whaling off the Aussie mainland they would be arrested however since it is off the coast of Antarctica the Aussie government knows their claim over Australia is even more dubious than Japan’s scientific research thus the reason why they are not arrested.

There is a lot of BS thrown around about the whaling issue but one thing is clear the whaling issue is not about the environment or sustainability it is about feelings.

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3 dokdoforever December 30, 2007 at 10:52 am

I’ll try not asking for the full cattle experience at my neighborhood Outback Steak House. Btw, I heard that Outback was actually an American operation – is it true they don’t have it down under?

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4 hoju_saram December 30, 2007 at 7:24 pm

@2: GI, the Japanese intended to hunt 3 species when this ad was made. The fact that the populations of these whales were expanding doesn’t change the fact that they’re still a fraction of the size that they were before whaling began, or that the the fin whales (which they’re going to hunt), are endangered and the humpbacks are still threatened.

Also, most of the minke whales they kill are pregnant (the whalers have said as much themselves). They’ve also refused to rule out hunting this guy:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/wha.....53482.html

A rare albino, and a favorite amoung whale watchers.

The scientific excuse is clearly bogus; the other reason which is sometimes floated about whale hunting being culturally important to Japan doesn’t really cut it either. See here:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/opi.....78587.html

And I don’t really get your point about the issue being about “feelings”. Of course its about feelings – people feel strongly about endangered and threatened animals getting slaughtered.

@3, Cows aren’t threatened. Nor is cow-watching an important tourist industry. Also, they don’t suffer anywhere near as much as whales do when they’re harvested. Just a few points to consider.

And you’re right, Outback is an American company. We don’t have it.

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5 GI Korea December 31, 2007 at 8:36 am

To review my main points:

- This is not an environmental issue, this is not a conservation issue, and this is not a territorial issue as the whale advocates claim.

- Whale populations continue to expand and the Japanese follow a quota system agreed upon by the international community to ensure their continuing expansion. There are 40,000 fin whales and the Japanese are hunting 50 hardly enough to cause an extinction.

http://www.iucnredlist.org/sea.....p/2478/all

- Japan hasn’t hunted humpbacks since the 1960’s and only added them this year. Why did they add them? Could it be because they used them as a bargaining chip? They suspend the hunt which makes it look like the Aussie government “did something” and get a pat on the back while the Japanese go on to whale the same amount they did last year.

- With the continued expansion of whale populations the whale watching industry will not be effected.

- This is a dispute based on feelings of how cute and sentinent beings whales are which the Japanese disagree with.

- The Japanese want to commercially whale like other nations but want to do it through an international agreement.

- The tactics of the anti-whale people are only making the situation worse.

- Huge double standard shown towards the Japanese compared to other nations that hunt whales.

- If the anti-whale nations negotiated in good faith with the Japanese I’m willing to bet an agreement on Antarctic whaling could be reached to where the Japanese would agree to hunt reduced numbers.

- This issue is obscuring much larger real environmental issues that these same nations condemning Japan won’t deal with.

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6 boshintang January 4, 2008 at 6:23 am

I thought he was Korean.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergenc.....2:48:00+PM

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