Protest Whale Killing

Introduction

The Makah whale hunt dominated the news, but in terms of total number of whales killed it was not the most important issue. There are two even more important threats to whales:

Japan’s “research” hunt.
Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation’s plan to build a salt plant in the lagoon where nearly all gray whales raise their young.

Most species of whales are endangered, so they deserve the standard endangered species protection. I argue that whales are a highly intelligent species and should not be hunted for food, and more than humans are. That argument applies whether or not a particular species is endangered. I expound on those arguments in my essay on the Makah whale hunt.

The Japanese Research Hunt

Japan continues to kill whales under the name of “research”. However, it is not really research. Half the whale meat sold in Japan comes from this hunt. You don’t have to kill humans to study them. Surely the same applies to whales. They killed 90 whales last year, many more times the number the Makah killed.

This hunt, like the Makah hunt, is a wedge that allows others to justify hunts, both legal and illegal.

The Mitsubishi Salt Plant

Mitsubishi wants to build a salt plant in Scanlon’s Lagoon. Unfortunately this is where nearly all the world’s gray whales go to raise their young. A salt plant can go anywhere there is salt water and flat hot land to dry it. Why pick the one place in the world for it that will send a beautiful species of whale into extinction?

Boycott Mitsubishi, Boycott Japan

Avoid buying products made by Mitsubishi, or any product made in Japan. Let Mitsubishi know you are doing this by sending them an email. Let Japan head office know you are doing this by sending them an email. If enough people boycott, they will act in their own best financial interest and stop harming whales.

Japan Calls Off Humpback Hunt

In 2007, Japan announced it was going to kill 4000 whales for “research”. Protests, especially in Australia convinced the Japanese to lay off endangered humpback whales. They had planned to assassinate 50 of them.

Links

The Makah Whale Hunt Also more information and links on whales and hunting generally.
Roedy Green’s essay on cetacean intelligence.
Japan’s cheating in the research hunt.
reader feedback on this essay.

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