# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/41 "2010-01-07T21:01:58Z")
I’m interested in why the Sea Shepherds focus so strongly on the Japanese. Perhaps they’re the ones doing it the most, but why aren’t they spending any efforts on Icelandic or Norwegian ships? It’s my understanding that these two countries engage in whaling as well. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/42 "2010-01-07T21:09:38Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > I’m interested in why the Sea Shepherds focus so strongly on the Japanese. Perhaps they’re the ones doing it the most, but why aren’t they spending any efforts on Icelandic or Norwegian ships? It’s my understanding that these two countries engage in whaling as well. Dunno…maybe because they whale in their own territorial waters and messing with the whalers there would see them in an Icelandic jail right-quick. The Japanese are whaling off Antarctica in international waters so are fair game. I presume if Icelandic boats were there whaling they’d not be choosy and go after them too. Just a WAG on my part. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/43 "2010-01-07T21:35:58Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > A pity they only clipped the nose off. A couple casualties would have been the ultimate win-win. The turd Watson gets his much wanted martyr status (at the expense of some poor NPC hippie, of course. Not his own life) and the whalers would see an end to the endless stream of hippie volunteers to harass them. Why would you think the “hippies” would stop volunteering? ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/44 "2010-01-07T21:44:07Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Why would you think the “hippies” would stop volunteering? Because, as everyone knows, leftists, environmentalists, people with any social conscience in fact are poseurs who will back away from physical danger. Like the International Brigades. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/45 "2010-01-07T22:09:16Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Because, as everyone knows, leftists, environmentalists, people with any social conscience in fact are poseurs who will back away from physical danger. Like the International Brigades. :rolleyes: Haha I’d totally do it for the lulz. The reason I don’t volunteer is cuz I can’t afford it and I’d like to go to Japan some day. 😉 But that shit looks like fun. Though they need to go full pirate. 😉 [QUOTE=Snickers] I’m interested in why the Sea Shepherds focus so strongly on the Japanese. Perhaps they’re the ones doing it the most, but why aren’t they spending any efforts on Icelandic or Norwegian ships? It’s my understanding that these two countries engage in whaling as well. [/QUOTE] Because there is a moratorium on whaling in that region, so they have a quasi-legal status there. Other whaling areas are legal. But that’s not the only such activism the Sea Shepherds do. There is a much less publicized anti-Seal clubbing contingent that goes out when its not Whaling season. And I guess they don’t mind the indigenous whale hunting for whatever reason. At least they accept it. **Mr. Dibble** They didn’t invest in that crazy expensive boat. The rich fucker that was driving it bought it as a toy and offered its services. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/46 "2010-01-07T23:02:27Z")
Does anyone know if the amount of whales the Japanese hunt truly are self-sustaining? If they can hunt without depleting the population to extinction then I don’t see why they shouldn’t be allowed to ---
**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 7, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/47 "2010-01-07T23:09:36Z")
My understanding is they ‘hunt’ (actually, they use the excuse that they are doing research, which rather neatly gets them around one of the treaties protecting whales) relatively plentiful species, and their hunting is not reducing said species gross numbers to any measurable extent. That said, I think that with people predicting the collapse of the ocean eco-system, any pressure at all on whales may prove fatal in the long run. Or it may be moot, since if the eco-system does collapse (even partially, depending on where it does), whales may be goners anyway. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/48 "2010-01-07T23:09:55Z")
This is funny: > [@](#): > > After Sea Shepherd purchased a small submarine in 1994, the Canadian navy said it would be too dangerous for a civilian to operate. Watson’s reply to Canada: “Since World War II, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has boarded more ships, rammed more ships, engaged in more high-seas confrontations and sunk more ships than the Canadian navy.” > > Read more: [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1952194,00.html#ixzz0byEWFOMc](http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1952194,00.html#ixzz0byEWFOMc) ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/49 "2010-01-08T00:58:41Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > My understanding is they ‘hunt’ (actually, they use the excuse that they are doing research, which rather neatly gets them around one of the treaties protecting whales) relatively plentiful species, and their hunting is not reducing said species gross numbers to any measurable extent. > > That said, I think that with people predicting the collapse of the ocean eco-system, any pressure at all on whales may prove fatal in the long run. Or it may be moot, since if the eco-system does collapse (even partially, depending on where it does), whales may be goners anyway. > > -XT The thing about a lot of ocean life is that it proliferates in the presence of food. There will be a species that thrives on whatever content the ocean contains, and it will in turn sustain some other species that will proliferate. So some life might go extinct but other life will continue to thrive. I think the ocean is a lot more resilient than people realize. I think humans are a much bigger danger to themselves than the overall ecosystem. We could cause a mass famine, but I don’t think we are going to utterly destroy the oceans to such a degree that it will make Earth toxic for human beings. There are other sources of food and a lot of the sea creatures could bounce back. Whales eat krill and such, and that stuff just breeds like krill. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/50 "2010-01-08T01:28:39Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > This is funny: This is cool: > [@](#): > > The Ady Gil, a carbon-fiber ship worth about $1.5 million, has an uncanny resemblance to the Batmobile and holds the world record for circumnavigating the globe in only 61 days. Sea Shepherd was able to purchase the celebrated speedboat, previously called the Earthrace, after Hollywood businessman Ady Gil donated $1 million Poor ship. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/51 "2010-01-08T01:37:39Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Because, as everyone knows, leftists, environmentalists, people with any social conscience in fact are poseurs who will back away from physical danger. Like the International Brigades. :rolleyes: Exactly. If you have followed the series, they balk at anything that remotely sounds like “giving their lives for the whales” as they always say they would do. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/52 "2010-01-08T02:11:07Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > This is cool: > > Poor ship. ☹ Heh, I guess I was wrong. That was a poor purchase choice. They should’ve gotten themselves a much nicer big ship for that price. The thing that the Japanese use against them time and again is their maneuverability and the size of the ships doing it. They outnumber the Sea Shepherds and can often guide them by outmaneuvering them. It’s one of the most interesting aspects of the show really. Sea Shepherds could’ve done a lot with another real ship. Maybe even gotten something with an iced-rated hull. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/53 "2010-01-08T02:37:31Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I was thinking more about the torpedoes, actually… American WW2 Torpedoes? Even if they were in brand-new shape they’d probably be useless. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/54 "2010-01-08T02:44:28Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > This is funny: Sheppard has effectively declared himself a pirate and as such the whalers should consider any of his boats hostile and try to sink them. ---
**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 8, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/55 "2010-01-08T03:06:51Z")
Didn’t the Japanese kill all of the Sea Sheperd (or See Shtard) clowns in the South Park episode? I don’t remember, but ISTM that they did (screaming ‘_%&^ YOU WHALE! (_&% YOU DAWLFIIIN!!’). Or maybe I’m misremembering…been a while since I’ve seen it. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/56 "2010-01-08T03:19:09Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Sheppard has effectively declared himself a pirate and as such the whalers should consider any of his boats hostile and try to sink them. Ah, yes; that would be a clever way to win people over. I’m sure Japan would just love it if they got a reputation for massacring people on the high seas. Not to mention, these Sea Shepherd people could then escalate their tactics with a lot more sympathy. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/57 "2010-01-08T03:21:16Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Look at the wake of the Andy Gil – specifically look at the water immediately astern of the craft right before the collision. Looks as the whaler is approaching the Andy Gil with the Andy Gil’s engines turnning over slow and just before she is hit the engines go to full power. If you look at the other video it is hard to tell for sure what the Andy Gil is doing. But the Whaler makes a sharp turn to towards the Andy Gil at a high rate of speed, and just before she hits her maybe begins a turn away. My take is the whaler as the ship with the right away is required to maintain coures and speed. Which she does not she alters course towards the Andy Gil in violation of the rules of the road. And just before she hits she reverses her turn. The Andy Gil by the rules of the road should either alter course or maintain a speed which will allow the whaler to pass infront of her. But as the whaler did not follow the rules of the road and turned towards the Andy Gil the the rules allow the Andy Gil to speed up to avoid the accident. Problem for the Andy Gil, power was applied to late and the whaler turned away at the last minute. The captian of the whaler let himself be suckered. And could have put his company in a world of hurt. I do not know how big the whaler was or the type of ticket the captian has. But if it was US registry some one would be going before the green table and a board of inquary to see if his licience should be pulled. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/58 "2010-01-08T03:24:46Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Agree with those who view the anti-whaling fanatics on that boat as hostii humani generis - those who’d interfere with the safety of others upon the high seas are truly the common enemies of all mankind. If I know that a ship has publicly stated its intentions to interefere with my ability to operate safely, and that ship then approaches me - I can’t blame the whalers for reacting vigorously. Problem is they played into their hands. By the way I do not agree with the anti-whaling fanatics method. but if you are going to run them over don’t do it with others around with cameras. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/59 "2010-01-08T03:33:45Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I know they are quite capable with a blue water navy. Just not sure what, by treaty, they are allowed to do outside their territorial waters. IIRC they take pains to point out their non-combat role when helping away from their territory. May have changed though…I really do not know. Just the sense I had of it. I do not believe it is by tready, but by their constitution. It is a self defence force. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021/60 "2010-01-08T03:43:23Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > Problem is they played into their hands. By the way I do not agree with the anti-whaling fanatics method. but if you are going to run them over don’t do it with others around with cameras. That’s just an incentive to sink them all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japanese-whale-whores/524021.md?page=4)