# Japanese whale whores **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 7, 2010, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021 "2010-01-07T12:27:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Evil\_Jon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bb73d2/32.png) [@Evil\_Jon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Jon)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/181 "2010-01-15T17:57:05Z")
I want to see a Japanese destroyer head down there and end this. That’s what I want. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/182 "2010-01-15T19:43:54Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > Do you seriously think that’s how boating works? You just drive your boat wherever you want in the middle of the ocean and everyone better get the hell out of the way? You’d make a great Sea Shepherd. I suspect you mean that I’d be a great whaler. I have a small boat, and though I recognize that in some cases I may have the right of way, a boat the size of the Japanese security ship has the “right of mass,” and I know what would happen if that large boat, hits my small boat. I may be “right,” to stay my course (or lack of) but I’d be dead right. I prefer alive. SS is a bunch of crybaby thugs, and while the whalers are doing things that I may not agree with, they (whalers) are technically “legal.” ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/183 "2010-01-16T00:33:16Z")
Paul Watson should just do his fucking duty and sink the Nisshin Maru. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/184 "2010-01-16T03:17:41Z")
Just out of curiosity, how should the Japanese sailors respond to members of Sea Shepherd boarding their ships and attempting to make arrests? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/185 "2010-01-16T03:20:16Z")
They would draw their swords, take the spears down from the racks, rush together in a mob and shout ‘Fuck YOU daulfeen! Fuck YOU WHALE!’ as they attacked. The Sea Shepard guys wouldn’t have a chance…but it would be a lot of fun to see. -XT ---
**Author:** ![mecaenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/91b2a8/32.png) [@mecaenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mecaenas)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/186 "2010-01-16T04:35:30Z")
I’ve been watching the whaling situation for a few years now. The legality of Japan’s whaling industry is a joke, just because they exploit a technicality of pathetic agreements under the fig-leaf of ‘research’ doesn’t make it moral or ethical. Not only that, but given the distinct lack of market demand for whale meat in their own country, it strikes me as absurd to continue whaling for the sake of national pride and ego. I’ve also been watching the Sea Shepherd’s campaigns, and while I didn’t support them initially as I thought they were too extreme, I’m tired of my government and the international community sitting around doing fuck-all about the situation. After reading up on the Sea Shepherd’s history and now this most recent incident, I’ve decided to start donating to their cause. The Sea Shepherd gets results, they take direct action, they reduce the whaling and raise awareness. \ ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/187 "2010-01-16T04:48:26Z")
_shrug_ They seem like a bunch of clueless bozos with fluff for brains and no idea how to opperate their own ships, at least to me. But their show is certainly entertaining…a couple of episodes had me literally in tears. Extreme? Yeah…extremely incompetent and clueless. So by all means…go donate to them. Would hate like hell to see their comedy of errors on the high seas show canceled. I can’t wait to see how they fuck up next season! -XT ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/188 "2010-01-16T04:56:04Z")
Well, last I read, donations are way up over this. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this “fuck up” pans out in the long run. Personally, I think it’s a shame Japan is going to have to perform seppuku in shame over getting their ass kicked by some hippie whale-huggers. 🙂 Time will tell. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Jon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bb73d2/32.png) [@Evil\_Jon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Jon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/189 "2010-01-16T05:42:00Z")
Well the Sea Shepards are good at wasting donations of brain-dead, liberal, tree-hugging, hippies. That’s something positive I guess. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mecaenas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/91b2a8/32.png) [@mecaenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mecaenas)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/190 "2010-01-16T09:32:11Z")
stuff it ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/191 "2010-01-16T14:28:49Z")
Yeah, I wish the Sea Shepherds were a bit more than feckless idiots. But of course they hire based on ideology not based on skill-set. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/192 "2010-01-16T15:50:13Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Well, last I read, donations are way up over this. I guess we’ll have to wait and see how this “fuck up” pans out in the long run… How much did the boat cost and how much up are donations? That’s the difference between unmitigated disaster and potential business model. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/193 "2010-01-16T19:03:30Z")
The [Earthrace](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ady_Gil) (it’s original name) cost about $2.5 million, paid by sponsors. Sea Shepherds bought it with a $1 million donation made by some Hollywood magnate. I have no idea how much they’re pulling in via donations, but they have 501(c)(3) tax exempt status so donations are tax deductible. > [@](#): > > 80.8% of the organization’s revenue are spent on its programs, while 8.9% of revenue is spent on administrative costs.[6] Sea Shepherd is supported by private and corporate donations, lectures by Paul Watson, internet advertising,[7] and grants. [From here.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Shepherd_Conservation_Society#Status_and_governance) ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/194 "2010-01-16T23:12:45Z")
My reading of the whole mess is the Security ship was trying to do a near miss while trying to douse the lot of them on deck with the hose, and they got a lot nearer than they thought, ie instead of missing by 5m they missed by 2m. I wouldnt be surprised if the Ady lot often were under cover given where they are, so the chance for a hosing with them out in the open was possibly too tempting. Overall my thinking is everyone got way too used to doing close maneuvering while playing silly buggers, and risk perception got lowered too far. The Sea Shepherd to me looks fast but not particularly maneuverable for its size, particularly when going slow - to me it looks like it was trying to speed up so it could turn but it was too late. Conversely I wonder how easily the security ship could see where it was going with those stupid hoses in front The Japanese expected them to move out of the way more easily, and the Sea Shepherd seems to have thought the Security ships were more able to control how close they came than was actually the case. Noone realised till too late that an actual collison was on the cards, and both efforts to avoid compounded things. I dont think the Ady was going to avoid a hit even without speeding up, but it might have only lost a foot or been crumpled rather than losing the entire front part of the boat. Similarly the Security ship seems to be trying to turn to starboard thinking the Ady would squeeze past, but unfortunately instead made a direct hit with the bow certain instead. Otara ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/195 "2010-01-17T02:32:17Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Piracy is not an annoyance. Boarding a ship or damaging it’s propulsion is not an annoyance. Destroying property is not an annoyance. These are deliberate acts and the whalers have every right to defend themselves, their ships and their cargo from attack. Losing propulsion, and potentially steering, in the Antarctic is in fact potentially **deadly**. For the safety of the crew he would be justified in deadly force imo ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/196 "2010-01-17T02:51:41Z")
> [@Angry Lurker](#): > > Losing propulsion, and potentially steering, in the Antarctic is in fact potentially **deadly**. For the safety of the crew he would be justified in deadly force imo Why would it be deadly? It’s a whaling _fleet_ not a lone helpless whaling vessel. I assume these whalers have adequate fuel, food and long-johns to last quite a while whether they’re actively chasing whales or sitting around with their thumbs up their butt waiting to de-tangle their props. Destroying a small ship is not the same thing at all. As someone upthread mentioned, landing in the drink in Antarctic waters can kill you in mere minutes. Could the Japanese have saved them from the water that fast? Could the other ships? That’s attempted murder. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/197 "2010-01-17T03:22:07Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Why would it be deadly? It’s a whaling _fleet_ not a lone helpless whaling vessel. I assume these whalers have adequate fuel, food and long-johns to last quite a while whether they’re actively chasing whales or sitting around with their thumbs up their butt waiting to de-tangle their props. Destroying a small ship is not the same thing at all. As someone upthread mentioned, landing in the drink in Antarctic waters can kill you in mere minutes. Could the Japanese have saved them from the water that fast? Could the other ships? That’s attempted murder. You clearly don’t understand. A ship with loss of control in bad seas is at serious risk, and it may not be possible to transfer crew. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/198 "2010-01-17T03:49:06Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Why would it be deadly? It’s a whaling _fleet_ not a lone helpless whaling vessel. I assume these whalers have adequate fuel, food and long-johns to last quite a while whether they’re actively chasing whales or sitting around with their thumbs up their butt waiting to de-tangle their props. Destroying a small ship is not the same thing at all. As someone upthread mentioned, landing in the drink in Antarctic waters can kill you in mere minutes. Could the Japanese have saved them from the water that fast? Could the other ships? That’s attempted murder. I don’t care if they only dulled the paint on the boat. Anyone who boards a boat, throws chemicals on a boat, attempts to disable a boat or otherwise harass the people on the boat is deliberately provoking a response. The Japanese Navy should confront them as pirates, take them prisoner, and sink their ships. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/199 "2010-01-17T05:56:44Z")
> [@Angry Lurker](#): > > You clearly don’t understand. A ship with loss of control in bad seas is at serious risk, and it may not be possible to transfer crew. Well, it’s a case of “he said, she said” and who you believe. As I understand it, the SS deploy ropes with colored buoys the Japanese can easily avoid. It’s a blockade, and the Japanese can avoid it, or go over it and risk fouling their props. In retaliation, the Japanese directly attempt to foul the SS’s props. The SS’s response is, “hey, that’s an attack. Bring it on bitches; we’re pirates!” The thing is, you’re dealing with a hypothetical, and I’m judging based on what I see on video, with my own eyes. I’m reminded of the cop in DC who brandished his weapon in response to being pelted, or “attacked,” if you prefer, by snowballs. Now theoretically, the cop could have been startled by the snowballs, careened into a school bus, causing it to jackknife into a gas truck, and lots of death could have resulted. In reality, the court of public opinion came back with a verdict of “the cop was a total douche.” Speaking of video, where’s the Japanese footage of the Ady Gil attacking them with prop-fouling devices? They were clearly filming everything, as the collision videos show, so where’s the evidence of the Ady Gil’s attack that warranted a response of attempted murder or at the very least, reckless endangerment? ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/200 "2010-01-17T06:06:33Z")
“As I understand it, the SS deploy ropes with colored buoys the Japanese can easily avoid.” I think any maritime authority would take a pretty dim view of that argument. Making large vessels avoid things that could foul thier props is an inherently dangerous activity. Otara [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021.md?page=11)