Rumours from Tokyo: Humpbacks to be spared the harpoon?
Greenpeace and the Japanese Fisheries Agency have been locked in conflict over whaling for a long time, and sometimes the game of figuring out your opponent's moves can look an awful lot like the old Mad Magazine comic, Spy vs. Spy.
We know from server logs that the whalers read every word here at Making Waves and at our main website. (Which means I'm taking a bit of mischevious joy in the thought that somewhere in Japan right now, some researcher is trying to get a hold of a Mad Magazine to figure out what Spy vs. Spy is...)
But the whalers know, too, that we have a few sources who tell us inside stories from time to time.
Here's an interesting one: a rumour from a well-placed source that the Japanese Fisheries Agency has decided to quietly abandon plans to hunt 50 threatened humpbacks as part of their psuedo-research whaling efforts this year.
Now at this stage all we have is an unconfirmed rumour. And we don't know whether this was a decision taken over fears that selling the whalemeat from the "scientific" hunt might be a violation of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species, or if there were concerns about public outrage over the killing of the sea's most charismatic of whales, or -- who knows -- they've been convinced by the case we're making for non-lethal research via the Great Whale Trail.
But since Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda is meeting with George Bush today, maybe we could ask George to drop into that friendly, charming drawl and ask "Fukuda-san, is it true what I hear about you not harpooning them humpies?"
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Comments
Unconfirmed rumors are still exciting!! Crossing my fingers... and wishing the best to the crew of the Esperanza as well as the brave activists out there.
And to be juvenile, I'm laughing while imagining Bush's attempt to pronounce "Fukuda", if you know what I mean.
Posted by: Page | November 16, 2007 1:23 PM
why don't you come to Norway and try to stop the whaling? the qouta in 2006 is 1052. All of them are mink whales though.
Posted by: Norwegian | November 16, 2007 3:45 PM
I have to admit that humpback whales are my favorite kind of whale but really... I care about every single whale that they want to kill and while a part of me would be happy if this rumour were true... that's only 50 whales less out of over 1000 whales that could meet a horrible end over the next few months in the Southern Ocean and really - for the most part - I feel bad that humpback whales get all the attention. The fin an minke whales are just as deserving of safety and protection!
Posted by: Lisa | November 16, 2007 5:32 PM
Godspeed Esperanza, hope you can stop these morons from destroying the whales,
Posted by: John E | November 17, 2007 12:01 AM
We all need to pray for the safety of these great creatures. May God and the Universe protect them from harm. God Protect Greenpeace and their mission to save these majestic honorable creatures from this unprovoked and senseless act of violence. May the karmic winds blow their fury on Japan and all that cause death and destruction in this world. Scientific research, weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - all lies!
Posted by: Frank | November 17, 2007 5:58 PM
Not much to say. Just, "shame on you Japan". Maybe you should come down to South Australia and watch the Whales swimming past every year, and you just might change you eating habits.
Posted by: Doug Ware | November 19, 2007 2:37 AM
Aside from giving money, is there any other way to support Greenpeace and your actions supporting the humpbacks?
Posted by: Angie | November 20, 2007 1:45 AM
I am trying to raise awareness in my country (Canada) to boycott anything Japanese until the slaughter of the whales stops. I can't describe how livid I am that this is still happening !!!!
Bernard Lehman
Posted by: Bernard Lehman | November 20, 2007 3:22 AM
There are lots of things you can do. Here are 5 things you can do right now (one of them is fundraising).
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/whaling
Posted by: Richard | November 22, 2007 11:44 AM
I don't think a boycott is the right approach. From what I hear, a lot of Japanese are against whaling.
I think it's just a few (politically well connected) old men supporting the industry these days. And they use this false sense of nationalism to keep pushing it. So a boycott would probably backfire.
Posted by: Andrew | November 23, 2007 4:54 PM
Make the call for whales!
Posted by: Dave on the Esperanza | November 24, 2007 4:36 PM
Save the Whales.Japan you should be setting an example.Thank God for Greenpeace.
Posted by: Jeni | December 27, 2007 8:17 AM