Navy should watch whalers, says Labour

15 Nov 2011 08:36p.m.

atrout wrote:

@ Melissa Grinter Have you never eaten a tuna sandwich? How about fish (rig) and chips? And why couldn't you farm Kiwi and go up against KFC? So by saying that the government must take political action against the whalers, do you mean that NZ Naval ships should go down South and become involved in the whaling protest? In what form - direct involvement or observer? Direct involvement would be illegal and dangerous. Observing would be useless, especially since the whaling passes for being legal and doesn't involve endangered species. Be a little more specific and tell us what our government should be doing.

10 Oct 2011 07:51p.m.

Melissa Grinter wrote:

Please. Come to your scenes. Whales are not a resource to be abused. Nor are Tuna. Nor are sharks. Nor are elephants. Nor are kiwi. However, they are abused and numbers of species continues to diminish. Please, if you see fit remind me, why is this alright? While not a vegan or a vegetarian, I believe that all animals have the right to dignity and respect. Hauling them up and killing them slowly does not achieve this. Many species of whales are in fact on the threatened and endangered list, so why do we as people only see fit to stop hunting a species when they get to this vital level? Are humans not theoretically meant to learn from our historical mistakes? From my understanding, whales, like sharks, are a delicacy. How is this an essential resource for humanities survival? While statements protestors self sacrifice seems irrational to me also, it seems to me that people view this as a time calling for desperate measures. New Zealanders live in a country which relies on our natural resources for survival; living, breathing and breeding whales are a large part of this. Without whales, and other threatened species within the oceanic the world, our very existence is threatened. Eco-systems rely on the survival and evolution of every species. Political action is a must from our government if we are to further protect another species from the threat of human greed.

10 Oct 2011 07:33p.m.

Davo wrote:

Well, hey, why not? That's all our navy is good for these days anyway.

09 Oct 2011 10:36a.m.

Jimmi wrote:

Perhaps the Japanese Navy should be there protecting their Fishing boats from the Terrorist threat of Greenpeace and their affiliated Terror cells. Minke whales (harvested by Japan) are the most abundant baleen whale. It is estimated that there are about 800,000 to 1 million minke whales world-wide, whales should not be allowed to recover to environmental carrying capacity, but rather, are in need of culling in the name of ecosystem management. Whales eat at least ten target species hunted by people, including Japanese anchovy and Pacific saury. Whales and dolphins worldwide consume 300 to 500 million tons of marine food annually, three to six times the amount fished for total human consumption. In light of globally diminishing fish stocks and increasing human population ,whales are like a rat in the pantry. So before all you ignorant, emotionally weak greenies out there criticise the Japanese, learn the facts.

06 Oct 2011 08:57p.m.

James wrote:

Torpedo the mother ship, End of problem

06 Oct 2011 04:52p.m.

David wrote:

Genocide?? really? We are talking about animals here. Do you refer to someone spraying flies as genocide? whales are a natural resource, and if we don't want them then we can at least let someone else who wants them to take them.

06 Oct 2011 04:42p.m.

Scott wrote:

New Zealand and Australia need to approach this issue in a new way. Condemning Japan has not and is unlikely to work. The Japanese government and many Japanese people see whaling as an issue of national identity. Japan is a country that hasn't been able to run its own foreign policy since WW2, and whaling is seen as one issue where they can chart their own course. New Zealand and Australia should negotiate with Japan instead of trying to impose our own values. We should recognise commercial whaling. In return Japan should stop subsidising the whaling industry and cease hunting endangered whale species.

06 Oct 2011 01:30p.m.

Chevy wrote:

Well you're Japanese so you wouldn't understand anyway. The navy would go out to ensure that the Japanese aren't breaking the law (which they are and everyone knows it) We just need proof. "Scientific research" YEAH RIGHT..
And good on the so-called eco-terrorists, I'm pretty sure if the Japanese whaling boats had their way they would be a lot more violent. We aren't just gonna sit by and do nothing.

06 Oct 2011 01:19p.m.

Hamish wrote:

Mr Toyotomi, to NZers this whale harvest is fairly disgusting and reflects very badly on all Japanese, it amounts to genocide of an intelligent species. If you dont like this attitude you know where the airport is.
Ps, I know this hunt is not popular with all Japanese.

06 Oct 2011 12:42p.m.

kiwi wrote:

Wait and see, no need for assumptions atm