Friday, December 21, 2007

Japanese taste for whales

Australia threatened to attack ships hunting humpback whales. Japan apparently backed down. Japan will try to bag 1000 other whales for "scientific research" -- but this is a shameful lie. The truth is that the Japanese EAT whales (as apparently do some northern European peoples and Native American tribes).

In order for whale species to survive, individuals in whale-eating cultures must reduce demand. Hunting traditions that thrived when the oceans were full of creatures must adapt to the present reality or those precious traditions will die with their prey. All fish populations are under extreme survival pressure because of human activities, but the large ocean mammals may be the first to go if we don't use our big mammal brains now.

Yay for Australia! Let's save the leviathans who sing under the waters.

(Related tip for China and Japan: Viagra, not powdered endangered species!)

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