Whale Wars... The Saga Continues...

Originally Posted by AssassinsMace

Japanese sinks stealth boat in whale wars!

I love this show!

Whale Wars on the Animal Planet just started a new series called Whale Wars Viking Shores. I guess the people behind the show don't want to look racist so they started a new show over the campaign against whaling around the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic. For the last several seasons they made the Japanese look like diabolical monsters. Just saw the first episode and they probably wished they were vacationing in Japan. The only time you saw them crying before was over whales. Now they're crying over fear for their lives. No wonder people think China's gender imbalance is going to create a violent male society. They must be looking at themselves and how they act without a gender imbalance as an example. Rowdy drunk young people harassing them at dock... great TV. They also had a single episode special on stopping Bluefin Tuna fishing in the Mediterranean. There the fisherman threw a lot more objects back than the Japanese and deployed some of the same sabotage tactics against them. The Japanese were puppy dogs compared to what the whale activists have been dealing with here.

I don't know how long this version will last because I know a new season against Japanese whaling is coming in June I think. This time they're depolying UAVs against Japanese whalers.

I'd have to admit I love my whale sashimi. it's a welcome change from your regular tapas.

Or go to Lofoten and try a whale burger. Mmmm, delicious!

Seriously, as long as whale is hunted responsibly, I don't see why it would be such a bad thing. Sure, you might not want to eat it yourself, just like most people wouldn't want to eat cats or dogs, but that doesn't mean it's up to you to decide what other people should eat. You know, I don't eat McDonald's burgers because I don't think they taste that good. But you don't see me raiding McDonald's restaurants because I think it's my right to stop other people from enjoying it as well. As long as they don't exterminate cows to produce them, they're welcome to make as many burgers as they please. If I really want McDonald's out of my country, I'd rather start an ad campaign to make people stop eating it. The rest will go automatically.

Originally Posted by Maggern

Or go to Lofoten and try a whale burger. Mmmm, delicious!

Seriously, as long as whale is hunted responsibly, I don't see why it would be such a bad thing. Sure, you might not want to eat it yourself, just like most people wouldn't want to eat cats or dogs, but that doesn't mean it's up to you to decide what other people should eat. You know, I don't eat McDonald's burgers because I don't think they taste that good. But you don't see me raiding McDonald's restaurants because I think it's my right to stop other people from enjoying it as well. As long as they don't exterminate cows to produce them, they're welcome to make as many burgers as they please. If I really want McDonald's out of my country, I'd rather start an ad campaign to make people stop eating it. The rest will go automatically.

I have not tried whale burger. Lofoten is in Norway? I can imagine them though but would prefer them fresh and rare or medium rare. Probably beat out having to eat hormone tainted meat and pink slime. Won't try to stop others from eating it though. The selfish side of me tells me that I can get more of the good stuff. Just our secret.

Of course I would also not want whales to be hunted down to extinction, Not good at all.

Fortunately theres only a small consumer market for whale. Several hundered million a billion even, could alter the potential survival of the whale.

One of the reasons why I think whale consumption is a really bad idea is the potentially high levels of mercury in it, being high level consumers/predators and all...

Originally Posted by montyp165

One of the reasons why I think whale consumption is a really bad idea is the potentially high levels of mercury in it, being high level consumers/predators and all...

That's a possibility. Good Observation.

If you watched The Cove, they discussed mercury levels in dolphin meat which Japanese fishing companies label as whale meat because it's cheaper but higher levels of mercury.

Originally Posted by AssassinsMace

If you watched The Cove, they discussed mercury levels in dolphin meat which Japanese fishing companies label as whale meat because it's cheaper but higher levels of mercury.

Ocean Predators specially those with extended life scan will accumulate a higher level of mercury. I remember some dubious companies got caught selling dolphin meat as whale meat. Dolphin meat are considered more toxic because they accumulate more industrial-type mercury although the whaie presumably lives longer.

They just started a new season of the regular Whale Wars against the Japanese. Now they're upping the drama. In the tease for future episodes, you see Paul Watson, their leader, look like he's taking down someone on his bridge making it look that the Captain is repelling Japanese invaders boarding his ship. Who knows what it'll actually turn out to be. Maybe one of the crew tripped at his feet. Or they staged a fake boarding. After all the one and only time he decides to wear a bullet proof vest in the past he claims he was shot at and struck by a bullet. How convenient he had a bullet proof vest on.

Heavy metal accumulation is a bigger problem for coastal cetaceans esp. propoises than the open ocean ones. Several dolphins species especially is getting so bad that their milk is actually harmful to their pups.

Anyway, the problem isn't so much the Japanese whaling - the species they are hunting are hardly endangered - it's the ludicrous excuse they are using. Let's just say if I put in that sort of manpower and money into the research I'd better be coming up with quite a few more papers than the Japanese scientists are coming up with.

They need to worry more about the Pacific Tuna with the Fukashima Radiation now.

I do not watch any reality TV. I don't like it at all. Much of it is scripted or just plane fake. No one that I know lives with as much dissension as depicted in these shows..including Whale Wars..

I have not read this thread but I found this article interesting.

While Paul Watson Fights Extradition to Costa Rica, Whale Wars Returns

While Paul Watson Fights Extradition to Costa Rica, Whale Wars Returns
Posted by Jaime Lopez on June 1, 2012 in Entertainment

A letter from Paul Watson, founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, went out to his followers and supporters earlier this week and summed up his current status:

“I remain a prisoner in Germany in a case that has become highly unusual, controversial and international.

On May 13th, 2012, I was arrested at Frankfurt airport in Germany because in October 2011, Costa Rica issued an order for my arrest and extradition for an incident that had taken place in 2002.”

While Mr. Watson’s status is still uncertain, the Animal Planet cable television network (part of the Discovery conglomerate) is ready to air season 5 of the hit reality television program Whale Wars, a documentary-styled show that premiered six years after the incident that moved Costa Rica to request extradition of the controversial environmentalist.

Whale Wars has been a windfall for Animal Planet. The first two seasons received plenty of critical acclaim and high ratings. The president of Animal Planet once said that the show is an example of what the network intends to do in terms of reaching adult audiences. While Discovery has taken to the high seas before and found success in reality series like The Deadliest Catch, Animal Planet cannot take credit for the success of Whale Wars. The show is 100 percent Paul Watson, for it was him who pitched the idea to the network, and he provides the gravitas and entertainment that has propelled Whale Wars to ratings success.

Whale Wars without Paul Watson just would not be the same, and it is interesting to note that while Animal Planet has a lot riding on the show, it has not gone to great lengths to support his release. The reason for this might be because Discovery wants to position itself as a neutral party that does not condone or champion the actions of Paul Watson and his often inexperienced crew against the (mostly Japanese) whaling ships, but it does enjoy the ratings.

The show has tried to expand its success into a franchise with a spin-off season called Whale Wars: Viking Shores, which finished airing just after Paul Watson was arrested in Germany. The spin-off was based in the pristine Faroe Islands, and it mostly fell flat among critics. Writing for Playboy magazine, critic Andy Denhart described his opinion of what the New York Times labeled as Whale Wars: Onshore Bickering (since the crew left their ship):

“[the show] has derived nearly all of its drama from Sea Shepherd’s paranoia, and that’s often made for frightening moments. The tension comes from what Sea Shepherd crew members think might happen rather than what actually does happen, because with the exception of some annoyed and/or drunk people, nearly everyone they interact with is pleasant and gracious.

The activists haven’t faced a single actual threat—or, it’s worth noting, a single whale…”

As is often the case with scripted reality television, the film crew in Whale Wars resorts to different methods of adding tension and drama -which is what audiences keep coming back for. Most of the time they are effective, but when they show the Sea Shepherd crew on the deck of the Steve Irwin desperately scanning the horizon with binoculars for a whaling ship that the cameraman can see over their shoulders, it just looks silly. But when Paul Watson is on screen, Whale Wars is effective not just because of his charisma, but also because he is a man who is serious about what he does.

Starting now and until 8:00 pm U.S. Eastern Time, Animal Planet will broadcast a Whale Wars marathon of past shows, and at 9:00 PM season 5 will premiere. A dear reader of The Costa Rica Star who keeps a blog named Propaganda Buster wondered if the next spin-off could be named “Shark Wars: Costa Rica Pura Vida.” Considering the reaction to Viking Shores, it might be a better idea for Paul Watson and Animal Planet to stick to the original formula. Here’s the episode description for tonight’s season premiere:

After more than seven years of intense battles at sea, the Sea Shepherds believe they have finally driven the Japanese whaling fleet from the Southern Ocean forever. But now, Japan promises to return to Antarctica to resume its hunt, and the stakes for the Sea Shepherds are higher than ever. Adding to the already intense conflict, the Japanese government is committing nearly $30 million to this year’s hunt to provide additional security against the Sea Shepherds. Hoping to end the war before it even begins, Captain Paul Watson develops a daring plan to prevent the whalers from killing a single whale.

'Reality TV'. Another example of Newspeak contradiction in terms?

Hmmm... Whale Wars: South Korea. The Koreans are a lot more "actionable" than the Japanese. Interesting since South Korea is allowed to trade with Iran due to its free trade agreement with the US, I imagine unlike the Australians the US will have to exert pressure to stop the Sea Shepards from interfering with South Korean whaling.

Defiant South Korea vows whaling - Yahoo! News

Defiant South Korea vows whaling
By Shaun Tandon | AFP – 1 hr 30 mins ago...

South Korea said Wednesday that it would start whaling under a loophole in a global moratorium that allows scientific research, outraging conservationist nations by using the same tactic as Japan.

At sometimes heated talks of the International Whaling Commission in Panama, South Korea said it would announce later how many whales it would kill and when but insisted that it did not need foreign approval.

South Korea's head envoy Kang Joon-Suk said consumption of whale meat "dates back to historical times" in his country and that the minke whale population had recovered since a 1986 global moratorium went into effect.

"Legal whaling has been strictly banned and subject to strong punishments, though the 26 years have been painful and frustrating for the people who have been traditionally taking whales for food," he told the conference.

Whale meat remains popular in the South Korean coastal town of Ulsan, which serves meat from whales "accidentally" caught in nets. Activists have voiced suspicion that whales are often killed deliberately under the guise of accidents.

Kang said South Korea would conduct whaling in its own waters -- in contrast to Japan, which infuriates Australia and New Zealand by killing hundreds of whales a year under the guise of research in Antarctic waters.

New Zealand's commissioner, Gerard van Bohemen, charged that South Korea would also be putting whale populations at risk and said that Japan had not contributed to science after years of expeditions.

South Korea's plan is "unnecessary and borders on the reckless. New Zealand is strongly opposed to Korea's proposal," he said.

Monaco's envoy Frederic Briand, a marine scientist and veteran conservationist, said that the Commission's allowance for scientific killing reflected research methods from when the body was set up in 1946.

"There is no doubt in my mind that scientists from Korea could well take advantage of the non-lethal techniques," he said.

South Korean delegate Park Jeong-Seok voiced anger at the foreign criticism. He said that Seoul did not need to inform about its whaling but was doing so "in the spirit of trust, good faith and transparency."

"As a responsible member of the Commission, we do not accept any such categorical, absolute proposition that whales should not be killed or caught," he said.

"This is not a forum for moral debate, this is a forum for legal debate," Park said. "Such kind of moral preaching is not relevant or appropriate in this forum."

Under the Commission's rules, nations can conduct lethal research on whales, with the meat then going to consumption.

Norway and Iceland are the only nations that defy the moratorium entirely. Iceland also used to describe its whaling as scientific but shifted its position in 2006 and said it was commercial in nature.

South Korea carried out scientific whaling for one season after the 1986 moratorium went into effect. A report at the time by the International Whaling Commission's science committee said that South Korea killed 69 minke whales and provided "no information" of scientific use.

Japan also submitted a proposal Wednesday to resume the hunt of minke whales off its coast, but did not seek a vote after strong opposition by anti-whaling nations.

"The IWC's commercial whaling moratorium has caused us and our communities great distress for a quarter of a century," Yoshiichi Shimomichi, head of the Japan Small-Type Whaling Commission, told the conference.

Australian envoy Donna Petrachenko said that Japan's proposal, if approved, would mean "completely undermining the moratorium."

While not killing minke whales, Japan each year hunts thousands of other cetaceans unregulated by the International Whaling Commission off its coasts -- most notoriously dolphins, which the western town of Taiji spears to death.

Russian delegate Valentin Ilyashenko voiced understanding for Japan's proposal as he explained his experience going for dinner in Panama, which has a strong US influence.

"Every visitor I see at restaurants asks for traditional Panamanian food, and as a rule they get a hamburger or pizza. I believe it's important to keep traditions and thus I support Japan's proposal," he said.