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By Simon Leufstedt
Wednesday, 21 November, 2007

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Simon Leufstedt is the editor of Green Blog. Simon has previously studied Global Environmental Justice and is currently studying Human Ecology and Political Science at Lund University in Sweden. Simon is also blogging over at the Swedish 350 website and working with the Swedish TckTckTck organisation. You can follow Simon on Twitter.

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Food & Health

Japan launches its largest whaling expedition ever

Japan launches its largest whaling expedition ever

Japan’s whaling fleet has once again sets sail for Antarctic, on a mission to brutally slaughter whales. Let’s call it what it’s actually is and not “scientific research”, like Japan calls it.

But this time it’s a little different. This year they have decided to go big and brutally murder around 1000 whales. That’s the largest whaling mission Japan has ever done. Included in that amount are 50 humpback whales. That means that Japan will break a 44-year ban on hunting humpback whales.

Japan launches its largest whaling expedition ever

This decision has already sparked loud protests from environmental groups and governments around the world. Especially the UK, Australia and New Zealand have sharply criticised Japan.

Labor, the opposition party in Australia has suggested that if they are elected in the Australian federal election this Sunday they will track down Japans whaling fleet using their military.

Greenpeace will, once again, try to track down the whaling fleet and disturb their hunt as much as possible. Karli Thomas, expedition leader onboard the Greenpeace ship Esperanza says that “the whaling fleet must be recalled now. If it is not, we will take direct, non-violent action to stop the hunt”.

Sea Shephard has also set sails to try and track down and stop the whaling fleet. Captain Paul Watson says that they “need to find and intercept these vicious killers as soon as possible. Every day of searching will cost the lives of whales”.

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  • http://thelastwhale.blogspot.com chris pash

    I have been visiting Japan since 1980, first on a scholarship and since on business. I like Japan, its culture and the people.

    In the 1970s I went with Australia’s last whaling fleet to observe them hunting sperm whales. I liked the captain and crew. They did their job well but the sperm whales still died hard. There is no such thing as a clean kill with a harpoon. This is inhumane and the people who hunted whales felt this as well. This is indefensible.

    This is not a cultural issue. It is an ethical issue. No human need is being fulfilled by killing a whale. There is no cure for cancer or a solution to hunger. The meat ends up on the plates of the affluent. And no great scientific knowledge is being gained by the death of any whale.

    Whales are wild stock. You cannot compare the death of a whale to the death of a farmed animal. We know so little about whales and we can never be sure of their numbers. There is no argument to justify the whale hunt by Japan’s government.

    http://thelastwhale.blogspot.com

  • Pingback: Green Blog » Blog Archive » The never solved, never forgotten issue…

  • jacqui

    You are right, whaling is HORRIBLE. Poor hopeless whales should be left alone, they do not deserve to be caught and killed for ‘scientific purposes’. WHALING ARE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO HEART FOR THE NATURE AND ANIMALS!!!

    Tank-you,
    Jacqui

  • a 12 year old

    whales are friendly they dont kill us why should we kill them its un fair Japan can eat other food like cows

    please stop it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    a little girl from Hat Head Australia

  • Response to 12yr old girl

    How many cows kill people?

  • http://green-blog.org/2007/11/21/japan-launches-its-largest-whaling-expedition-ever/ BBop17

    Whales disserve to live just like any other mammal in and out of the ocean. They have do nothing to us so we should do nothing to them. They have never killed us and never will. JUST LAY OFF JAPAN!!!!!!!! Its just inhumain to kill an innocent animal.
    From a kid in Canada

  • tabitha

    well i think that this is bad for the wailing population bacause if there was less wails then they caouldnt have sex so there would be no babys so there would be no wails and iv eaten wail and it dosnt tast nice so i dont think it is a very good idea ok?

  • a kid in america

    leave the whales alone they’ve lived in peace for years and now japan wants to come in and just decide there going to start killing them they never bothered or harmed you so don’t go into their home and murder them

  • Ulli

    This is in response to everyones comments. I think it is stupid that people don’t understand that whaling is just the same as kilkling all other animals. So why is whaling any different. I’m sure more than one person who commented on whaling has eaten KFC before and if so has had the chicken. If you read an article on KFCs chicken you would understand that they also brutally kill chickens. So before you write something think more about it and also whaling isn’t spelt wailing. OKAY so get it right!!!!!

  • Chelsea

    You Should not kill ANY OCEAN ANIMALS! Adopt a whale not eat them! WHALES FOR OCEAN NOT FOR MEAT.

  • Chelsea

    aND PLUS YOU THAT THINKS EATING MEAT LIKE KFC FOR EXAMPLE I’M A VEGATARIAN SO I CAN SAY THAT SO JUST SHUT UP AND STOP DEFENDING WHALING THOSE ARE THE ONLY CREATURES WE HAVE FROM THE PREHISTORIC TIMES AND ALSO IF YOU KILL OFF THE WHALES THEN THE WHOLE OCEAN ECONOMY IS OUT OF BALANCE BECAUSE SOMETHING HAS TO EAT SOMETHING ELSE TO KEEP THE CHAIN FLOURISHING. SO YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED AND IF THE OCEAN ALL GET NASTY JUST LIKE FRESH WATER YOU CAN BELIEVE THAT IT WAS WHO EVER SUPPORTED WHALING SO THANK YOU FOR BEING AN OCEAN KILLER!!!!

  • keekee

    i cant believe you think that whaling is the same. whalee are unique ocean creatures. they are the largest creatures on earth. they deserve to be preserved. i dont like the fact that animals have to die, btu the chicken taste good so hay they died for something. the japanese are just ignoring the fact that whale are almost gone and still go out and kill them. u shouldnt risk your life for something that is not right

  • Johnathan Rodriguez

    i think all the people that kill whales should go to hell and burn

  • MR. AWSOME

    i think whoever kills whales or is a acomplise of killing whALES SHOULD SUK MY DICK AND GO TO HELL AND I WILL FUCK YOUR MOM AND GOD WILL KILL YOUR ASS AND YOU CAN CHUPA MIS HUEVOS AND GO FUCK A COW

  • Johnathan Rodriguez

    how can anyone kill such a harmless and sweet animal. i mean come on they haven't done nothing to us so why kill them. thank god there are people out there that what to stop them like the people on ''whale wars". those people will go to heaven not like the people that kill them that are going to hell.

  • TDHFVJNVGHVHJB

    FUK WHOEVER KILLS WHALES THEY ARE ALL HOES WHO HAVE NO LIFES HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH MAY YOU BICHS WHO KILLWHALES

  • http://www.whales.org.za/ Whale Information

    The profanity people… but yes I do agree that it is cruel and the people should be stopped

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