[img]http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/9941/humpbackwhalei.jpg[/img]
[b]Whaling-[/b]
Whaling began around 6,000BC when man found out they could kill these great beasts. Whaling has continued to this day by some country's, currently mainly from Japanese, and Norwegian fleets, but Aboriginals from other country's like the United States and Canada continue to whale under the the approval of the International Whaling Commission. Japanese and Norwegian activity is approved under the law of the IWC but remains controversial.
[img]http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/5605/whale20meat.jpg[/img]
[i]As an anti-whaler myself, I do say that looks fucking delicious.[/i]
[b]The Good-[/b]
Whaling has been an important aspect of Norway's economic basis for settlement along the Norwegian coast, as well as being a major part of the economy and history of many country's, whaling also provides large amount of meat for consumption as well as oil for lamps and candles in the early days of whaling, The bones were also used to make products, along with baleen, and ambergris to make perfume. With whale oil no longer being a big seller, modern whaling mainly focuses on harvesting for meat. Whaling is a multibillion dollar industry that fueled the growth of nations in the early years, and fills the belly of man for years to come.
[img]http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/9284/whalinginthefaroeisland.jpg[/img]
[i]pilot whale hunt in the Faroe Islands, it is said the meat is lightly toxic - the Faroe whale hunt is carefully regulated, and therefore cool by me.[/i]
[b]The Bad-[/b]
Everything has a drawback however, pro-whaling advocates say that there are enough whales to go around, anti-whaling advocates however, say the opposite. It's no secret that whale populations have been declining over the years, and though major commercial whaling has slowed over the years, people feel the whaling industry is still endangering the whales and bringing them to extinction. The Minke, a commonly harvested whale is estimated by the IWC to be 761,000 strong in the Southern Hemisphere, but only reports about 10,000 left west of Greenland. With Norway's hunt quota being around 1,000, and Japans quota being around 1,330, much controversy has formed on whether the whaling industry has a big effect on the whale populations.
[img]http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/439/whalecounts.jpg[/img]
[I]the Minke whale is the usual catch-of-the-day for most whaling fleets.[/I]
[img]http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/2250/3246181543ba0ca457e2f.jpg[/img]
[i]Sea Shepherd harassing the Japanese whaling fleet in the Australian whale sanctuary - Captain Paul Watson was unanimously voted out of Greenpeace because his tactics were to aggressive.[/i]
[b]The Ugly-[/b]
Many who eat beef, me included don't want to know how the beef got on the shelf, just as long as it tastes good, same goes for whaling. The modern process of whaling may be a very disturbing sight for many people. conservation groups such as Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd constantly attempt to lower the Norwegian and Japanese quotas in a relentless attempt to crash the whole whaling industry, may support their efforts, many more however, call them "eco-terrorists" and say they should be arrested. Both claim to have the law on their side, the whalers saying they are whaling under the approval of the IWC, and the conservationists saying they are illegally hunting whales under the false flag of research. The Japanese are also known to illegally whale in non-whaling Australian waters.
[B]Tools of the trade[/B]
For over 8000 years, the two flue harpoon was the primary weapon used in whaling around the world, but it cut through the blubber when under stress. This flaw was corrected with the creation of the single flue harpoon; by removing one of the flues, the head of the harpoon was narrowed, making it easier for it to penetrate deep enough to hold fast. In the Arctic, the indigenous people used the more advanced toggling harpoon design. In the early 19th century the one flue harpoon was introduced, which reduced failed harpoonings due to the head cutting its way out of the body of the whale. In the mid-19th century, the toggling harpoon was adapted by Lewis Temple, using iron. The Temple toggle was widely used, and quickly came to dominate whaling.
In 1870, a Norwegian man named Svend Foyn successfully patented and pioneered the [B][I]exploding harpoon[/I][/B] and gun based on Erik Eriksen's idea and design. Together with the steam-powered whale catcher, this development ushered in the modern age of commercial whaling. Euro-American whalers were now equipped to hunt faster and more powerful species, such as the rorquals. Because rorquals sank when they died, later versions of the exploding harpoon injected air into the carcass to keep it afloat.
A certain type of explosive harpoon fired from a shoulder gun, first used by American whalemen in the mid-19th century, was called a "bomb lance."
The modern whaling harpoon consists of a deck-mounted launcher (mostly a cannon) and a projectile which is a large harpoon connected to a thick rope. The spearhead is shaped in a manner which allows it to penetrate the thick layers of whale blubber and stick in the flesh. It has sharp spikes to prevent the harpoon from sliding out. Thus, by pulling the rope with a motor, the whalers can drag the whale back to their ship.
[img]http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/795/whalegun.jpg[/img]
[media]http://img5.imageshack.us/img5/7623/2799165422bdd5afb62.jpg[/media]
[b]So? why should I give two shits?[/b]
A question I ask myself a lot, well lets see. Whales hold a huge role in arctic environments, keeping them controlled. According to Professor Dr Victor Smetacek of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research and Dr Stephen Nicol from the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Australia, the ability to predict changes in polar ecosystems within the context of global climate change requires a better understanding of the ecological role of whales and seals. In their contribution now published in the scientific journal Nature, the two researchers present the hypothesis that large marine mammals have a central and stabilizing role in marine ecosystems and were once widely distributed across all oceans.
[b]in defense of Norway[/b]
In the mid-1980s, there was a great deal of uncertainty about the level of the Northeast Atlantic minke whale stock. In order to improve knowledge about the stock, the Norwegian authorities initiated a research program stretching over several years. The program included sighting surveys and, from 1989 onwards, these were incorporated into a more extensive five-year research program covering seals as well as whales. The program was designed not only to provide information on the state of the different stocks, but also on their role in marine ecosystems.
[b]in defense of Japan[/b]
No whales have ever been hunted to extinction, nor are they likely to be. Out of all of the 80 species, only a limited number traditionally have been hunted, such as blue whales, fin whales, minke whales, humpback whales, sperm whales and gray whales.
When whales were over-hunted, species such as blue whales and right whales were reduced to very low population levels, but these species now have been fully protected for decades.
Japan strongly believes that they should continue to be protected.
On the other hand, there are species which are abundant enough that marine management is needed, such as the Antarctic and northwestern Pacific minke whales and northwestern Pacific Bryde's whales.
Well there you have it folks, my wall of text on whaling. It's my opinion that we should be careful with how many whales we hunt, continue research, intact more strict laws for whaling areas, and sanctuaries, and even take it a step further by creating an "Open range" system were select numbers of whales are tagged for harvest while others in more fragile environments are not. [i]I am not against whaling as a whole, only the over fishing of whales.[/i]
[B][I]sources[/I][/B]
[B]Scientists[/B]
[url]http://www.iwcoffice.org/index.htm[/url]
[url]http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/laws/mmpa/[/url]
[url]http://www.everything-science.com/content/view/157/98/[/url]
[B]Hippys[/B]
[url]http://www.seashepherd.org/[/url]
[url]http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/oceans/whale-defenders[/url]
[B]Whalers[/B]
[url]http://www.whaling.jp/english/index.html[/url]
[url]http://www.norway.org.uk/policy/environment/whaling/whaling.htm[/url]
[I]almost forgot wikipedia[/I]
[url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling[/url]
For some reason I never took a position on this issue, I just figured people need their whales, and others want to stop them from getting them, because there are like 7 whales in the ocean or something.
I wonder what it tastes like.
[QUOTE=phill977;16451820]I wonder what it tastes like.[/QUOTE]
Probably somewhat like beef, as they are mammals.
[editline]03:03AM[/editline]
[QUOTE=lintz;16451714]Uhh... That's great. What's your point?[/QUOTE]
You know, I'm not sure. I guess I just wanted to see facepunch's response.
Eco-terrorists piss me offf
I prefer narwal
They'll have to cut back on the free samples.
As long as a particular species isn't being hunted to extinction(is this even possible these days with wildlife preservation laws?) and the animals are being put to good use, i.e. food or something and nothing retarded like killing an elephant [b]just[/b] for the ivory or to mount its head on a wall then I don't care. The same goes for every non-human species on this planet.
[QUOTE=Lankist;16451749][img]http://www.whale.to/b/paul-watson.jpg[/img]
^ Whale ^[/QUOTE]
He's a fucking yetti.
In before fat chick joke.
[QUOTE=tasty-man;16451886]I prefer narwal[img]http://www.facepunch.com/fp_ratings.php?postid=16343808&rating=7[/img][/QUOTE]
They are pretty sweet.
I watched that show Whale Wars, and I simply laughed my ass off during the duration of the show.
[QUOTE=OvB;16451866]Probably somewhat like beef, as they are mammals.
[/QUOTE]
It's like a fatty, sweet type of beef, very strong fish flavour though.
[QUOTE=tasty-man;16451886]I prefer narwal[/QUOTE]
Flawlessly executed post.
Also, I don't like whaling if anyone cares.
[QUOTE=tasty-man;16451886]I prefer narwal[/QUOTE]
How did i know I would see a narwhal in this thread?
WHITE WHALE, HOLY GRAIL!
[img]http://a.com[/img]
[QUOTE=thisispain;16451951]It's like a fatty, sweet type of beef, very strong fish flavour though.[/QUOTE]
I heard they weren't very fishy because they were mammals, I gave you a blue circle.
[QUOTE=Parky;16451963]WHITE WHALE, HOLY GRAIL!
[img]http://a.com[/img][/QUOTE]
Your avatar.
lol whale wars.
I saw the Sea Shepard a couple of days after it smashed up the whaling ship, the sailors were all very... feminine. Strangely.
[QUOTE=Amez;16451934]I watched that show Whale Wars, and I simply laughed my ass off during the duration of the show.[/QUOTE]
That show is hilarious, they try so hard.
I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!
[quote]Many who eat beef, me included don't want to know how the beef got on the shelf, just as long as it tastes good, same goes for whaling.[/quote]
I'd rather find out where my food came from thanks.
Jeez, I wanna clout those Sea Shepherd people upside the head. Their actions won't help anything.
[QUOTE=OvB;16451995]I heard they weren't very fishy because they were mammals, I gave you a blue circle.[/QUOTE]
They are fishy because they live in the ocean and eat things from the ocean.
Kinda how some meat tastes gamey because it lives in the wild.
i like whales
Someone should post those pictures of shore-pilot whaling on Faroe islands.
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