Quote:
Originally Posted by trollface
Do you know if they're using it as a food source? I've heard about the "research" masquerade, but if they're actually using them for food, is it all that bad?
|
The Japanese fishing fleet was heavily involved in commercial whaling prior to the enactment of the International Whaling Commission moratorium on the harvest of whales. When the body of a whale is taken aboard a factory ship a bit of basic information is taken, which allows Japan to call the harvest research, permitted under a provision of the moratorium. The meat is then processed and sold. It's not just environmentalist groups like Greenpeace, Sea Shepard and World Wildlife Fund who assert that it is not research, nations and respected scientists do as well. Even Japan has essentially admitted it's not research, they just don't feel like following the treaties that only they oppose. Is it bad to violate an international moratorium, yup, I'd say so.