Australia slams Japan's Antarctic whale hunt

Next time Australia, send out your coast guard to protect your EEZ. Show some backbone against Tokyo! What the whaling fleet is doing is illegal by Australian law. It is against the regulations of the whaling states as well. It should be easy to stop them from whaling. Show some backbone!

Japan should quit the IWC and unilaterally set catch limits based on ongoing scientific analyses of safe numbers of whales to catch. Then call it commercial whaling too.

So what?

The Australians would say that, wouldn't they!

Why keep Whaling when only a people eat it. If its only for traditional reasons do it in Japanese waters not Australian territorial waters ..

Ps a few people eat it.

As an Australian I donated money to stop this whaling to the sea Shepard so this wouldn't happen, a lot of us don't want this and it's sad to think that not enough people do more, as one person my impact didn't mean a lot but hopefully together Australia can stop this happening in the future. Please don't blame Australia, not all of us want this and to be honest a lot more would be done if this would be brought to the eye of the media, but the media just doesn't cover enough to bring this to the attention of the good people willing to help. I am sad for what had happened to these beautiful creatures but I stil have hope for change that can only happen in the future to come. I live Japan and have travelled there many times and if I could would love to live there, I don't blame the whole of Japan for the hunting of these whales but only a select few who I hope will grow to understand that the whales must be protected and preserved.

tinawatanabe it is Australia's EEZ and they can argue that Japan is poaching the whale resource. True the whales are protected. Then again Japan is going against International Law sending whaling ships down there to harvest whales. Australia should of halted the hunt and sent it to the International court.

tinawatanabe: "Be careful. It is international waters, not Aussie's."

They also trespassed into French territory, tina -- then tried to deny it. That was after they were endangering the lives of others with acoustic weapons from helicopters, etc.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/japan-whaling629.html#cr

YuriOtani: " Australia should of halted the hunt and sent it to the International court."

For a change we're in agreement. I think Australia has tried to take Japan to the ICJ over the issue, but Japan simply refused to go, saying it's not an issue -- which is why all the calls for other countries to go to the ICJ when Japan wants are a joke.

tinawatanabe: "the whales are protected and preserved."

He or she means preserved as in saved, not 'pickled', tina. Sorry. You can trust Japan to do THAT, for sure. Not much else you can do with rotting meat once the 'science' argument has been proven false and the 'cultural' element too, given no one wants to eat it.

You should learn to trust the Japanese. If you can't trust them you shouldn't live in Japan and lecture them what to do.

tina, do you trust 'the Japanese'? Every single one of them? Do you leave your door open when you go out for the day, secure in the knowledge that no Japanese person is going to come in and burgle you? If every Japanese person is totally trustworthy, why does Japan have criminal courts? and a police force?

Some Japanese people, I would trust with my life. Have trusted with my life. Others, not so much. No one gets a free pass simply on account of their nationality. I don't trust all Japanese people, so I should leave Japan? Where do you suggest I go? There is nowhere in the world with a 100% trustworthy population.

smitty -

I think Australia has tried to take Japan to the ICJ over the issue, but Japan simply refused to go, saying it's not an issue

Australia did take Japan to the ICJ and the ICJ did rule that the 'research' whaling was nothing but commercial whaling under another name, and ordered Japan to stop. Japan initially said they would abide by the ruling, did one year without going to the Southern Ocean, then started again, claiming they had tweaked the 'research' programme to comply with the ruling. They then announced that in the future they were not going to submit to any ICJ ruling regarding 'living resources of the sea'.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/japan-rejects-international-court-jurisidiction-over-whaling-20151018-gkc7rm.html

And tina says to trust the Japanese. Never trust anyone who lets a harpoon speak for them.

tina, do you trust 'the Japanese'? Every single one of them?

When did I say trust single one of them. Trust that Japan is no doing illegal. Your understanding about the ruling is wrong. You shouldn't tell Japan what animal to eat. You have no authority for it. There is no law telling that the world people should no eat animals that the westerners cosider dear.

I don't like emotion like "cute" "intelligent" "high mercury" don't give me that. Just give me laws or cut the diplomatic relation and leave.

I don't like emotion like "cute" "intelligent" high mercury" well the intelligence and high mercury content has been scientifically proven, if your pride causes you to be blind to those facts then thats you fault not Australia or the whales.

Over 300 pregnant whales butchered! This is why so much ot the world does not respect Japan.

When did I say trust single one of them.

You said, trust the Japanese. If you can't trust them you shouldn't live in Japan. You did not say trust the Japanese who are making a living out of animal abuse. Are you now saying I should leave Japan because I don't trust one very small set of people who act in a manner I abhor? It still comes down to the question, Do you trust the actions of every small group of Japanese people, regardless of what they do? Do you for example trust the Japanese who end up in prison for murder, rape, theft, assault etc., (i.e. who are not trusted by other Japanese people)? Or do you disagree with the actions of the people in authority who put those people in prison? Either way, there's got to be at least one group of Japanese people who you don't trust. Maybe you need to leave Japan, though I can't see where you could possibly go....

You shouldn't tell Japan what animal to eat

(1) When did I tell anyone what to eat? My concern is with the killing, and abuse. Don't abuse animals (any animals), don't kill any animal in such a way that it suffers pain and/fear. It is impossible to kill a marine mammal humanely, or to guarantee an instant death using a harpoon from a moving vessel on the high seas. And the killing of pregnant females is beyond the pale. If you must eat flesh, there are plenty of beached whales. Why not eat them?

(2) I thought the people we are supposed to trust say that the whales were being killed for 'scientific research'? If you as a Japanese are claiming that they are being killed as food, then you are stating that what the whalers are doing is in violation of both the IWC moratorium and the ICJ ruling.

YuriOtani - Next time Australia, send out your coast guard to protect your EEZ. Show some backbone against Tokyo! What the whaling fleet is doing is illegal by Australian law. It is against the regulations of the whaling states as well. It should be easy to stop them from whaling. Show some backbone!

There are only 4 other nations that recognize Australia's selfish claim to international water. 198+ nations do not recognize Australia's claim to international water.

Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt objects to whaling in international water but he doesn't have any jurisdiction over international water.