Courts Can Stop Japan!

Experts: Courts can stop Japan whale cull || The Australian:

"LAW experts today urged anti-whaling nations to end years of fruitless diplomatic pressure on Japan to stop scientific culling and use international courts to halt Tokyo.

As the International Whaling Commission annual conference began in Alaska, a group of law experts commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) urged Australia and other like-minded countries to get tougher with Japan.

'Japan's whaling programme is illegal and will remain so until a government takes steps to challenge this unlawful activity,' law professor and group chairman Don Rothwell said.

The IWC's 72 members are bitterly divided over a 25-year-old global moratorium on whaling which Japan and other nations such as Norway oppose.

Japan has long resisted pressure to stop scientific whaling and this year plans to hunt 935 minke and for the first time 50 humpbacks. Humpbacks were hunted nearly to extinction until protected by the IWC in 1966."

Is there really a simple way?

Can you really force them just to stop...
And actually believe that they will when told not to?

Will this really work any better?

So far Japan has taken international law into it's own hands to do as it pleases - continuing to conduct its (scientific) whaling activities.

Japan can't argue the fact that it is against international laws, of which are agreed and signed upon, that whaling is prohibited. Japan is breaking the law! Why not use the courts?

It won't be until Japan can find a way to change the laws to be otherwise, in their favor, that Japan's activities will actually be legal. But that hasn't happened yet. (Though, unfortunately may be soon at hand!)

However, the fact still remains... whaling is ILLEGAL, and Japan is in violation!

It would be fascinating to see if any of these things are taken seriously and what the outcome would be.

Alaska Whalers to Cancel Beluga Hunt - Examiner.com

Alaska Whalers to Cancel Beluga Hunt - Examiner.com:

"The population [of Beluga whales] is now so low that Alaska Native whalers, who have chased belugas for generations, agreed Monday to cancel their annual hunt for the third time in nine years at the request of the National Marine Fisheries Service. The agency is expected to decide this week whether to declare the animals endangered."

Will another species of whales make it onto the Who's Who Of Endangered Species?

It seems that it is most likely that the Beluga's will soon join some of their cousins on the endangered list.

Though the Alaskan whalers have the legal right, given the right genealogy and decent, to hunt these whales... perhaps it is best for them to rely on other traditions of their people, granted the ill-fate of the Beluga's in the current age.

Japan Replies

Minke Whales Safe, Japan Replies:

"In reply to criticism that its slaughter of pregnant minke whales in the Southern Ocean is endangering the species, Japan says the high pregnancy rates show the species is safe."

Did this discovery have to require the killing of the Minke Whales in the first place?

Whatever happened to good old-fashioned observation and simply counting the whales?

This is good news.... but the ends don't justify the means!

- Gary

Forget Ear Wax, Whale Dandruff's The Answer

Forget ear wax, whale dandruff's the answer

Apparently Australian scientists have found a reason for Japan's "scientific whaling" program to cease.

The main purpose that Japan's so-called "scientists" are killing the whales is to determine the age of the whales, which was done by counting the layers of the whale's ear wax... and to do so the whale must be dead.

Now Australian scientists found a way to determine the age of whales by analyzing little bits of skin the whales shed.

I doubt, however, that this will really keep the Japanese "scientists" from killing whales....

... Because as we all know Japan has a large market for whale meat - though the profitability of said market is debatable.

- Gary Schmidt

A Newborn Whale

Beluga whale born at Shedd Aquarium: " A Beluga whale named Puiji gave birth to a male calf on Monday. Mother and calf are doing well."

Happy (Belated) Birthday!

- Gary

A Call To New Zealander's

Wanted: Whale spotters of the right stuff:

"A southern right whale spotted off Mahia on Monday afternoon could be part of a "homegrown" population.

The Department of Conservation has asked people to report any sightings of southern right whales - which will be near the coast as they breed from June to September - so staff can collect DNA samples and record details that identify individual animals. More information was needed to confirm the theory of a population separate to that in Australia and the subantarctic Auckland Islands."

Get in on part of the action, help them determine if it really is a separate population... you still can go whale watching and help out!

What a great excuse to go to the ocean and go whale watching!

You can have great time, some fun and help scientists figure out how well the whale populations are doing.

The Best,
Gary

The Freed Whale

Rescuers free whale entangled in rope : "A humpback whale that was entangled in marine gear off the coast of Mount Desert Island for at least 20 hours was cut free just after noon Sunday. "

Here's a nice little article, about a whale that was saved from being entangled in marine gear off of the coast of Maine. It made note that they don't bother disentangling whales unless it's life threatening. Not only is it a danger for the whale, it is also a danger to boaters and the rescuers. It took a whole 20 hours in part because of a dense fog reducing visibility to about 100 feet.

Get the complete story through the link.

- Gary

It's Time

Well, it certainly has been a long time since I last wrote... I've been extremely busy, but that's no excuse.

There really wasn't a whole lot that really happened the last part of the winter and spring. Just the few stories of Japanese whalers and Japan's efforts to lift the moratorium on whaling.... of which I can recall that there was vote in the IWC to lift it and about half of the countries voted in favor of lifting the moratorium for whaling - which means that Japan may eventually get it's way, but 2/3 of the countries need to vote in favor for it to be lifted!

However, on a more positive note off of the coast of California the whale populations were found to have increased over the last season.

I thought a while back that I might've seen an article on a whale species that was thought to have been extinct discovered... somewhere maybe in the Atlantic?.. I'm not too sure because I can't find the article or anything, leave a comment if you've seen it!

- Gary

Signs of Whales Returning

Redesigned signs warn of dangers during whale season: "Fearing that more boating traffic increases the potential for collisions with humpback whales during the winter whale season, state and federal agencies say they are posting new warning signs at harbors and boat ramps."

The signs of the whales return are litterally starting to show in the Hawaiian Islands region...

New signs are being posted that are easier to read and understand at a glance warning about whale collision, compared to the older signs that are harder to read while passing. This is good, since when the next generation of calves are born and start their life they need to surface more often.

Gary Schmidt

Outraged (Yet)? Here's What You Can Do

Outraged? Take action - Ocean Defenders - the weblog

Take a moment and see what you can do to take action and help stop Japanese whaling.

This site has several good links to places where you can make your voice heard.

Gary Schmidt