Your Opinion on the Sea Shepherds

[Sight Unseen]

I was just reading the thread about Trudy joining them...

So, what is you opinion on the Sea Shepherds?

I really like what they're doing. Someone has to go down there and do something to stop whaling, and the Sea Shepherds are doing their best, with passion and determination. One of the things on my "to do before I die" list is to crew for a season. Direct action to stop the illegal killing of endangered (and in my opinion) sentient animals, I think, is a very worthy cause to fight for.

I'm not saying they're perfect. Far from it. Paul Watson has made a few decisions I don't agree with, and their ships are too outdated to really be effective. After the Shonan Maru #2 sunk the Ady Gil, the Shepherds really lost their only big advantage. But they have something the Japanese fleet doesn't: something to fight for, not just to get paid for.

[Empty Glass]

I will admit I'm not an expert on them and have not seen the associated TV show (I'd like to, though).

But based on what I know, I do admire them for taking a strong initiative on this issue and for not taking a more passive approach to protecting whales. Passivity could be counterproductive in the long run. I think a lot of environmental issues could stand to have more people tackling them head-on like this.

[Human No More]

They're terrorists. I mostly oppose whale hunting but those idiots just endanger lives and turn other people against opposing whale hunting with their methods, and I do think that banning all whale hunting is a form of cultural imperialism. I know they are endangered and I think they should be protected, but does saying 'no, you can't do it at all' make other people any better?
If they actually took the time and effort to get an actual message across, they would accomplish a lot more.

[Isard]

Originally Posted by Human No More

They're terrorists. I mostly oppose whale hunting but those idiots just endanger lives and turn other people against opposing whale hunting with their methods, and I do think that banning all whale hunting is a form of cultural imperialism. I know they are endangered and I think they should be protected, but does saying 'no, you can't do it at all' make other people any better?
If they actually took the time and effort to get an actual message across, they would accomplish a lot more.

Agreeing with HNM for once.

[Sight Unseen]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

Agreeing with HNM for once.

Interesting, Aihwa agreeing with HNM, and me not agreeing.

It's a sign of the apocalypse!

[Isard]

Originally Posted by Sight Unseen

Interesting, Aihwa agreeing with HNM, and me not agreeing.

It's a sign of the apocalypse!

How do you feel that terrorism has helped stop whaling? All its done is escalate the whalers protection.

[redpaintednavi]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

How do you feel that terrorism has helped stop whaling? All its done is escalate the whalers protection.

Interesting that it is the members of Sea Shepard who are called the terrorists. It ought to be the whalers who are called terroists, killing and destroying rare and threatened animals.
It seems that something is wrong with our terminology.

[Isard]

Originally Posted by redpaintednavi

Interesting that it is Sea Shepard who is called the terrorists. It ought to be the whalers who are called terroists, killing and destroying rare and threatened animals.

Then your body is most likely committing acts of terrorism against bacteria. Hunters are terrorizing poor woodland animals, and I terrorize pan fish up north every summer.

[Sight Unseen]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

How do you feel that terrorism has helped stop whaling? All its done is escalate the whalers protection.

First off, the whalers are hunting endangered whales in a whale sanctuary. So I don't believe that Sea Shepherds are the terrorists. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Sea Shepherds are taking matters into their own hands to stop something that is not only illegal, but wrong.

Yes, the whalers have acquired more protection, both physical and in the court, but Sea Shepherd's actions have made the issue get into the news more than anything else recently. They also sometimes cause the whalers to fall massively short of their quotas, therefore, they help stop the killing of whales.

[Isard]

Actually, its along a disputed boarder of a sanctuary. They engage in downright illegal actions against other vessels. (Back in the day, those would be considered acts of war)

And yes, they're very good at getting attention. Its a massive publicity stunt, one that's going to cost somebody their life soon enough.

[redpaintednavi]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

Then your body is most likely committing acts of terrorism against bacteria. Hunters are terrorizing poor woodland animals, and I terrorize pan fish up north every summer.

The Japanese whaling is a totally unneccesary hunt just for profit (and it also seems for national prestige) that has nothing to do with human needs. It is just greed and plain stubborness which drive japanese whaling.

[Isard]

Originally Posted by redpaintednavi

The Japanese whaling is a totally unneccesary hunt just for profit (and it also seems for national prestige) that has nothing to do with human needs. It is just greed and plain stubborness which drive japanese whaling.

Hunting and fishing is unnecessary, and done for sport. They want to eat whale, I want to eat perch. Whaling is fine if limited, however, engaging in terrorism is NEVER the answer.

[redpaintednavi]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

Hunting and fishing is unnecessary, and done for sport. They want to eat whale, I want to eat perch. Whaling is fine if limited, however, engaging in terrorism is NEVER the answer.

Whalehunting has no real value, it is a fringe industry that has survived itself in our modern world. The fact that people want to eat something cannot justify destruction of endangered species. Otherwise we could eat Pandas too, just because we like to eat them.

So sometimes destruction of a biological heritage that belongs to us all just have must to be stopped, even with methods that are not approved by some corrupt government.

[Isard]

Originally Posted by redpaintednavi

Whalehunting has no real value, it is a fringe industry that has survived itself in our modern world. The fact that people want to eat something cannot justify destruction of endangered species. Otherwise we could eat Pandas too, just because we like to eat them.

So sometimes destruction of a biological heritage that belongs to us all just have must to be stopped, even with methods that are not approved by some corrupt government.

Sport fishing is a fringe industry that has survived itself in our modern world. I'm not saying fish whales into oblivion, but the way they're going to limit it is illegal. I agree to abide by certain rules, and am afforded privileges within society for such. They get to break the rules and get away with it.



So what's next if we let this go along?

"West Wars" with Osama Bin Laden?

[redpaintednavi]

Originally Posted by Aihwa

Sport fishing is a fringe industry that has survived itself in our modern world. I'm not saying fish whales into oblivion, but the way they're going to limit it is illegal. I agree to abide by certain rules, and am afforded privileges within society for such. They get to break the rules and get away with it.

So what's next if we let this go along?

"West Wars" with Osama Bin Laden?

Unfortunately the stocks of cetaceans are rather vulnerable and there are no reason to hunt them just to keep alive a fringe industry. And shall we als lay some sort of moral aspect on it so is it not right to hunt and kill sentient or at least semi sentient beings.
Sportfishing ought also be heavy regulated and ofcourse forbidden when it concerns higly vulnerable species (as it is in many countries, as for example for eel, catfish and some other here where I live).

And when it concerns extra parliamentary methods they are sometimes necessary to change things to the better. If not for such methods we would still have a lot of colonialized countries, opression and inequality that have been abolished partly, or fully due to such methods.