Taiji officials say dolphin meat is toxic

[Sarapva]

I know this is a few weeks late (had internet connection problems for a while), but this is a page from the Japan Times about two officials saying they think dolphin meat is toxic and shouldn't be eaten:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fe20070801a1.html

Here is another link to the "Save Taiji Dolphins Campaign", which explains how the fighermen in Taiji try to cover up the slaughter:

http://www.savejapandolphins.org/

And this is a link to information about Japan Dolphin Day on Sept. 25:

http://www.idausa.org/campaigns/marine/feature_070822.html

[centrajapan]

Whale meat is rich in protein (23.5%), lean and tasty. Whale products are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, vitamin E etc. These are beneficial to human health, helping prevent diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

[Goldiegirl]

I think there are safer sources of protein available; ones that aren't contaminated with mercury.

[centrajapan]

You mean getting proteins from....? Such as gene manipulated cows shot with growth hormones feeding on chemical sprayed fields is a whole lot safer than whale meat. Lets not even talk about hamburgers and French Fries, and other fast food.

[Goldiegirl]

Not every animal that is farm raised is "shot up" with growth hormones etc. I shop at a wonderful organic store, Harvest Market, and there I get my groceries that are free from hormones, antibiotics and so forth...I am sure you could do the same and not eat mercury laden meat from whales.

[centrajapan]

You will have to eat 100 kilograms of whale meat an hour for the rest of your life for it to have an affect on you. Whale meat is organic and ecologigal. The most ecological form of meat there is. Antibiotics is in the field for decaeds, centuries so Id be careful if I were you. Just how organic is organic? Usually to get the organic label the farm has to show that it has not used antibiotics for 3 years yet antibiotics stays in soil much longer than that. It is not possible to be 100% organic. How about thinking about all the antibiotics which might be in the food you eat which then will cause stress. The stress from thinking about the antibiotics could have more negative affects on you than the antibiotics itself. The same with whales.

[Goldiegirl]

Excuses...we have plenty of food available, and just because as humans we are on the top of the food chain list should not mean that we have the right to kill everything on this planet for food.

[centrajapan]

The decision to what other people want to eat should not be up to some close minded imperialist who think they have some higher moral ground telling others what food is morally accepted and what isn't. I also find it hillarious that US has no problem with the Inuits hunting whales yet with Japan. What kind of attitude does US have towards its Indegenous people?

[Sarapva]

The Eskimos who hunt whales in the Arctic do it for survival, and one village gets maybe one whale a year. They believe that when a whale is caught, the whale agreed to be caught to help them survive. There's a kind of give-and-take and communication going on.

There might be some Japanese villages that hunt whales for survival, but the commercial whaling isn't necessary to survive. A huge whaling boat doesn't give a whale a chance to "agree" to be caught or not. From what I've seen of Japanese fishermen hunting whales and dolphins, they seem to have very little regard for the suffering the animals obviously go through while being slaughtered.

[centrajapan]

Oh so the Eskimos who hunt whales they have to prove that they need it for their survival...? Why do they have to prove a damn thing.. Where as Japanese are "modern" so they don't need whales.. It is that kind of attitude which is outdated. So these simple people up in the north with primitive technologies can hunt whales because they are primitive but not Japanese? A culture is not static and it should be up to the people in that culture how their culture should evolve and not some outsider imperialist trying to impose their values and eating habits down other people's throats.

Japanese hunt whales with modern weapons which minimanize the pain to whales compared with if they used old/traditional weapons.

[Sarapva]

No, there's no proving going on in this. The Eskimos rely on whales to survive, but modern people don't. You sound very angry about this. I know Denmark is a whaling country and maybe Norway too. I'm not trying to force anything on to anyone else. We're all world citizens, and shouldn't we all have a voice as to how all animals in the world are treated? Animals don't belong to specific countries, especially in the oceans. I also think that a lot needs to be changed in my own country in the way animals are treated. That doesn't make me an imperialist outsider trying to force my ways onto others.

[bakaKanadajin]

The decision to what other people want to eat should not be up to some close minded imperialist who think they have some higher moral ground telling others what food is morally accepted and what isn't.

I wish to eat children. My moral relativity allows for it. Actually, lets say the moral relativity of my entire country allows for it. Who are you to stop me?

Something wells up inside you, where you say to yourself, "Yes, but hold on that's CLEARLY wrong BECAUSE..."

Well guess what, there are a number of scientifically sound and logical reasons not to hunt and kill whales and thats why it's not permitted. They are an endangered species, they are a highly intelligent species, and eating them isn't at all necessary for anyone's survival. More people agree on this than disagree in the world at the moment. I'm sorry that you're on the undesirable side of the fence on this issue but I don't know how many people you'll find here that are as passionate about killing whales as you.

[centrajapan]

Minke whales is not an endanered spiceis. The whale is not a sacred animal to everyone so stop trying to impose your narrow mindedness onto others.

[bakaKanadajin]

I'm not narrow minded for opposing whale hunting nor am I imposing anything on anyone. I'm just arguing my point of view much like you are. If you really love whale hunting go kill one instead of wasting time just posting about it on here. Live the dream!

[centrajapan]

I find you to be narow minded for opposing whale hunting. A sustainable hunt of a natural renewable resources is the most eco friendly form of meat production today and should be welcomed in an age where we face severe environmental problems.

I just dont have a problem with people whale hunting. What is annoying is some foreigner coming in and telling people what meat is acceptable and what isnt.

Let me ask you? Are you a vegeterian? If you are then why is it more wrong to kill 1000 non endangered Minke whales a year than 1 millions cows daily which also have much worse environmental consequences than killing 1000 minke whales? Free Willy! Save the whales!

[Goldiegirl]

The reason....we have never pushed cows to the point of extinction. They have a faster reproduction rate than any whale. They are much more "renewable".

[Mars Man]

Just how did we get from information about the quality of dolphin meat in regards human consumption to the pros and cons of whale hunting?

Anyway, I'd hope all concerned folks--whatever the discussion, when it's more serious than Chit Chat and Misc. material than not--provide source material for claims. (not necessarily just net links, but bibliographies and such too)

Now, regarding any species becoming extinct, there really should not be that much concern, because all us species will go extinct in the future, without any doubt. It would be nice to keep some of the more intelligent ones...like whales... around to study some more, to share with our great grand children's grandchildren's children, and enjoy the beauty of, but, that is aesthetic call. I'm pretty much neutral on the issue.

[centrajapan]

Whales aren't that intelligent. Minke whales have less brain capacity than a cow. They are basically some fat piece of animal which basiacally just floats around the ocean making these weird sounds eating all the fish and some people think they are more worth than Jesus. Ah, missionaries. We eat what we please thank you very much.

Minke whales give birth to one or more calves a year. Very abdundant. Goldie girl. Besides. These is no such thing as a whale but many whale spiecies.

[Goldiegirl]

I think you have eaten too much mercury laden whale meat....

[bakaKanadajin]

I find you to be narow minded for opposing whale hunting. A sustainable hunt of a natural renewable resources is the most eco friendly form of meat production today and should be welcomed in an age where we face severe environmental problems.
I just dont have a problem with people whale hunting. What is annoying is some foreigner coming in and telling people what meat is acceptable and what isnt.
Let me ask you? Are you a vegeterian? If you are then why is it more wrong to kill 1000 non endangered Minke whales a year than 1 millions cows daily which also have much worse environmental consequences than killing 1000 minke whales? Free Willy! Save the whales!


My opinion is my own, yours is your own. You take things too personally and fail to recognize that an argument is directed at your logic and not at you. Calling someone narrowminded because they disagree with you is hardly an effective debating tool and it makes you look quite childish.

By the way, this is an international website and everyone here is a 'foreigner'. I can only interpret your comments to mean that you think my opinion is linked to my nationality and your sovereign right to do something is thusly under attack. Guess what, I don't give a rat's *** where you're from, and where I'm from is also irrelevant. This is a discussion on dolphins, whaling, hunting, etc., and THAT'S the topic. Stop being so sensitive.

Not that it bears any relevance to the discussion but I'm not a vegetarian, I eat certain kinds of fish and occasionally chicken. I rarely eat red meat; the odd time I do its because someone else prepared it or I'm at a restaurant. This is for my health, it's not a political stance. But regardless I do not support the modern farming industry any more than I support whale hunting. I exercise my personal choice by buying free-range grain-fed poultry products and domestic produce whenever possible. It's a tad more expensive but not only does one feel slightly better morally its also higher quality stuff and worth the expenditure.

I find you to be narow minded for opposing whale hunting. A sustainable hunt of a natural renewable resources is the most eco friendly form of meat production today and should be welcomed in an age where we face severe environmental problems.

Oh yeah, are there enough whales for EVERYONE to kill some and eat? I think if we turned to whales as a sustaintable food source they'd become extinct pretty quickly and we'd all be eating hamburgers again in no time. As GG pointed out, there enough cows and chickens for everyone, there aren't enough whales. Little thing called economies of scale.

Whales aren't that intelligent. Minke whales have less brain capacity than a cow. They are basically some fat piece of animal which basiacally just floats around the ocean making these weird sounds eating all the fish and some people think they are more worth than Jesus. Ah, missionaries. We eat what we please thank you very much.


Fat piece of animal.. that makes sounds.. I'm not one to play semantics but your disdain for whales and your eagerness to just blow them outta the water and eat them is pretty apparent. You don't have what I'd consider a balanced approach to the situation, you're trying to play the voice of reason for a misunderstood and demonized cultural practice yet in the same breath you don't seem to respect the very thing that's giving you your food and livelihood.

[centrajapan]

This is a discussion on dolphins, whaling, hunting, etc., and THAT'S the topic. Stop being so sensitive.

Some countries have a whaling tradition while others dont. You dont need to like whaling but you need to accept that some people do. You seem to have a problem with that. You seem to have a problem Japan whaling. And as I stated earlier.

Whaling is eco friendly.
Whaling is sustainable.
Minke Whale are not intelligent animals. They are not sacred. Their intelligence is about the same or less than a cow and deer.

Here are 3 good reasons to why whaling should not be such a big deal. Unfortunately it is because of anti whaling activists, mostly from western countries who go around believeing in the myth of the super whale and Free Willy and just cant live with the fact that they dont see whales the same way as they do. Missionaries.

I respect Minke whale as a mobile source of proteins. When you know a greener industry than whaling then I might listen. Until then you really dont have much of a point.

[Mars Man]

Things are have not quite gotten out of hand here, but it did come close with some almost name-calling. That's over now, and I suggest that it stay that way.

Well, I had made a point regarding the topic of this thead--the very second post went off topic. Now, I would like to suggest that if there is further interest in discussing something like the intelligence level of the various cetacean species, or the social patterns and hunting schemes which have been understood through hard to do research, and so on, it would be good to open a thread in the Chit Chat and Misc sub-forum.

If there are further additions of evidence for the proposition that dolphin meat is toxic, they are very welcomed here.

[bakaKanadajin]

this post has been removed at the request of the moderators.