More to the Cove

I was recently discussing the Cove with someone who although enjoyed the film, had a hard time believing that the International Whaling Commission (IWC) could be so corrupt.

Many of us have a certain respect and awe for organizations, professions, or people of rank that are in a position of authority and are appointed to represent the people's interests.

The IWC was created in 1946 to conserve whaling populations and govern whaling prices. This organization was created because of the fear of extinction due to over hunting of whales.

Whaling was supported during the first 20 years of the IWC's existence and whale populations fell even further.

However public pressure in the 1970's with many 'Save the Whales' campaigns meant that many whaling countries abolished the practice altogether.

Some however, continued to hunt large number of whales and do so legally with a loophole in the IWC's regulations: a country can hunt whales for scientific purposes. Countries like Japan, Iceland, and Norway then make sure that the whale meat that was hunted for science doesn't go to waste. The meat is sold in supermarkets, restaurants, and to schools. Sometimes it's labelled, sometimes not.

I won't even get into the health hazards, the ecological importance of whales, or even how damn smart these creatures are in this post. Let's focus on the IWC.

You'd think that with Japan hunting 950 whales a year, the IWC would quickly amend the loophole. I mean what's the point of regulations if there's a blatant hole that makes the entire set of rules meaningless? Either don't have the regulations or make them effective right?

Like the seal hunt, the whaling industry is well, fishy. The seal hunt is mostly subsidized and is trying to meet a demand that doesn't exist. So why continue? Some theorize that it's a pride thing others think that the whaling industry is in enormous debt and has to pay back the government for million dollar ships and equipment. Whatever the reason, it doesn't make sense

Anyone who has seen The Cove knows that wealthier whaling nations have been *allegedly* recruiting small poorer nations to join the IWC (nations that don't even have whales in their vicinity) and then buying their votes.

However something The Cove did miss was that the IWC is using some other unconventional tactics: hookers.

Surprisingly this might be just what whales need right now. With Obama considering allowing whaling again, this sort of outrageous revelation could be enough to motivate people that whales be protected once again.

Japan Needs a PR Agent

You know that feeling you get when you discover something that is a complete outrage and you’re not the least bit surprised? Well, the honor of that feeling today goes to the Japanese government (not unfamiliar with causing these emotions).

Japan is notorious for its whaling laws and moratoriums that they don’t bother to enforce, claiming that the thousands of whales they kill annually are for ‘scientific research’. If this is true then Japanese scientists are the biggest tools in the shed. Researchers reporting on an animal species don’t usually decimate them in the process, but hey, I’m no scientist.

Well, Japan has repeatedly tried to defend itself by insisting that they are not exceeding the yearly whaling quota despite various reports and evidence that the industry has just gone underground. However Greenpeace recently provided indisputable proof that the government was lying while using tax payer’s dollars to support an unsustainable and corrupt industry.

Now, if Japan were a celebrity a PR expert would step in and give some image advice to the country. First we would hear a heartfelt apologize which would be followed by a stint in rehab, a promise to make amends by community service and then maybe a picture of Japan kissing a baby at rally against global warming.

However Japan doesn’t have a PR person giving them good advice, which is why they proceeded to arrest the Greenpeace activists that exposed them. So if you have a minute I encourage you to follow this link and send a letter to Japanese officials letting them know that their bonehead decisions aren’t going unnoticed:
http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/outrage-greenpeace-whale-meat