J.C. Bouvier, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Online Community Coordinator filed this post in which he expresses his personal observations of the Japanese whaling fleet launch.

Just a few hours ago, Japan launched its whaling fleet with sights set on over 1000 whales in the name of science.  The boats, some with a giant stencil of the word 'RESEARCH' on their flanks are part of the Japanese governments self-assigned quota to kill whales during their next four months and collect 'sustainable use' data on the stocks in the hope that they can convince the countries of the world that commercial whaling is a manageable practice.

The Japanese government or I should say the entity someone has formed to make its pubic arguments (read: disinformation) is called the Institute for Cetacean Research or ICR.  The web site URL is actually painted on the tail of one of their boats...as if the people chasing them or TV viewers of the horrible footage of whales drowning while being dragged alongside their ships will see the URL, hit their laptops...read the hyperbole they find there and then a light will go off...and everyone will go home and let them pursue their 'research' in peace.  The Japanese are a smart and savvy people, however I think the PR agency their whaling team is using may be a bit...um...stale, dated and utterly ignorant of world opinion.

One of the things I find most confounding about this ostentatious web site (and hey, 1996 called, they want their graphics back) is that although the Japanese people aren't interested in eating whale meat...and the global market isn't interested in buying whale meat; even Iceland has suspended its whaling quotas...and that the worlds oceans are in serious decline...It would appear that the Government of Japan is happy and in fact proud of saying "Hey...we have a right to do this...and the stocks can handle it...who cares if no one wants it!  We've got these cool boats...with these cool harpoon things..." 

Essentially, it appears as if the Japanese are saying, we've got these weapons, so we should use them...In my opinion, that has an uncannily terrible familiarity to another administrations philosophy of unilateral thinking...and I for one intend to let Japan and the rest of the world know that it's time to drop the nationalism and work together to save what little we have left and help it to recover. 

If you haven't already signed up for our Mobile Whale Network, please take a moment to text WHALES to GOIFAW on your cell and we'll keep you posted as the next chapter in this sad tale begins...

Comments

[Jill Obaman]

Hi,
I wonder if you would kindly add me to your blog roll? I often write about the whaling situation which you will see if you visit my site. I have also had responses from the IFAW to my posts.

Keep up the good work, I shall add you to mine!

Thanks Gill

[Tim Stretton]

Sign the petition, lets stop whaling once and for all

http://www.my-cause.com/stop_the_japanese_whaling/