Whale harpooned on whale watching trip

[Conveyor Belt]

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/national/news/20070825p2a00m0na039000c.html

SAPPORO -- Eco-tourists on a whale-watching vessel, looking forward to observing the mighty creatures in their natural habitat, were instead greeted by the sight of a harpooned whale being dragged in by a Japanese whaling vessel on Friday.

At about 10:44 a.m. on Friday, a whale was spotted spraying water from its blowhole near a whaling boat, about 3.5 kilometers away from the whale-watching vessel off the coast of Hokkaido's Shiretoko Peninsula. But when the vessel approached, the passengers on board found that the whalers had harpooned the Baird's beaked whale, and it was hauled in by the whaling boat about 20 minutes later.

The sick guy in me thought this was humorous. I can picture the little greenie greenpeace guys and gals fawning over water spouting, then the look of horror as they see the boat harpoon the whale. Priceless.

Still, part of me feels sorry for the whale... but not sorry enough to stop laughing at the situation.

[58ford]

The Japanese routinely kill whales illegally, they call it research, but the only research they accomplish is finding out how good the animal is on a bed of rice.
Also, in 2001 a US sub hit a "vocational fishing vessel" it turned out that the vessel was illegally in US waters in an area where submarine maneuvers had been announced, illegally poaching whales.

[chaz]

The sick guy in me thought this was humorous.

When I read the headline, I thought "sounds like they go their money's worth."

[aaron]

Yeah, I'd love to see the video of their faces.

[BlueDogDemocrat]

Disgusting. To see those massive yet graceful creatures suffer has always made me cringe on a level unlike many other. The sight of it is so, well, unnatural.

Whaling should be banned outright.

[big john]

There is nothing unnatural about catching your meal.Banning food is whats unnatural.
I wouldn't eat it,but if they like it more power to them.

[big john]

Extinction

99.9% of all species have become extinct
Without extinction, we would not be here
Mass extinctions vs. background extinction ratehttp://nitro.biosci.arizona.edu/courses/EEB105/lectures/extinction/extinction.html

[58ford]

Disgusting. To see those massive yet graceful creatures suffer has always made me cringe on a level unlike many other. The sight of it is so, well, unnatural.

Whaling should be banned outright.
Whaling is banned out right. And though to some extent I agree with Big John, I still object to the Japanese flaunting of international law.

[big john]

Well,I went whale watching one time and I am pretty sure one of em pointed at me and sqeeked to another "this guy's a f'n a$$hole" had a grudge ever since.

[Fish-Bait]

Well,I went whale watching one time and I am pretty sure one of em pointed at me and sqeeked to another "this guy's a f'n a$$hole" had a grudge ever since.
No, he was just yelling to the others that you had one sock higher than the other...:laugh::cry:

[EricStratton]

I feel bad for the whale....but, I'm just relieved that this wasn't a thread about whale sex....

[wilebill]

For some reason, when I saw the headline, I thought Rosie had gotten speared.