Whales Win, Japan Loses at CITES

[flvegan]

06/07/2007
Whales Win, Japan Loses at CITES

At a June 6th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in The Hague, Netherlands, Japan and Iceland once again failed to remove the protection status of the world’s whales. CITES’ “Fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties” is being held from June 3rd – 15th.

Last week, Japan got trounced at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, when the IWC condemned so-called Japanese research whaling in Antarctica. The CITES decision on June 6, 2007, guarantees that Iceland and Norway will not be selling whale products to Japan anytime soon. All traffic in whale products internationally is illegal and a violation of CITES.

Japan's proposal for CITES to review the status of all great whale species was defeated by a vote of 55 to 28 with 13 abstentions. Japan had hoped that, following this review, CITES would recommend that the protection currently afforded to some whale species should be lifted.

<snip>

A counter proposal from Australia that no review of any great whale, including the fin whale, should occur while the IWC's commercial whaling ban is in place, was adopted with 60 votes for, 23 against, and 13 abstentions.

More
http://www.seashepherd.org/news/media_070607_1.html

and
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070606.wjapawhales0606/BNStory/Science/home

[glowing]

1. What about protection of the "ugly" sea creatures... we are losing

a lot of shark too... but they aren't as cuddly and are feared. Also, we are losing a lot of fish to overfishing practices... We need to protect our natural fish... farm raised crap is worst than not eating fish at all and is an environmental waste... think pig farms are bad, google a fish farm that goes sour.

[flvegan]

2. I agree.

That's why I don't eat any of them, and I support organizations like the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

This is a positive step for CITES.

[glowing]

4. I don't agree not to eat fish. Fish have and will always be an

important part of diet... they contain such good things... but we don't need to eat so much, and we need to lay off some of these species so they can come back. Fishermen want a large yield. There are a lot of restrictions on them now. There are yield restrictions in some cases and in other cases seasons of 30 days... so these guys go hauling ass to pull in as much as they can the fastest because they need to feed their families. Its a hard life. Always has been, even without the restrictions. But at the same time, if they do take too much, they won't have any livlihood...

These are hard issues to tackle, especially with the people who really have respect for the water and the fish that they fish... most of them know more from experience, than the most professed scientist within the scientific marine world. I knew a marine biologist who switched to shrimp fishing. That guy was amazing.. and a good captain.

[jilln]

7. Eating fish is completely unnecessary.

As is eating any other single thing. Any "good things" found in fish can be found in other foods. Without the mercury.

[Chulanowa]

9. The problem with fish...

Is this:


Almost every ounce of fish we scoop out of the sea goes to feed our cats, and most of what's left winds up fed to farmed fish. Humans only eat a very tiny portion of the catch.

[jilln]

12. That sounds like the problem with CATS

;-)

[LeftyMom]

14. There's nothing good in fish you can't get from better sources.

For example, nuts are a good source of omega 3s. Excluding contamination, population loss, etc, (and those are HUGE issues, but I'm sure somebody else will cover them) fish is higher in cholesterol than most terrestrial meats by weight.

And the "respect for the fish" thing is a crock. You just can't say that you respect something and then kill by suffocation or the bends and eat it's corpse.

[Tyler Durden]

3. About Fucking Time.

I get pretty damned sick and tired of watching our "sock puppets" like Japan play "Neener-Neener" with the rest of the world, doing whatever they want and not getting shit for payback.

I say HOORAY!

[GardeningGal]

5. Great news!

Thanks for posting.

[Annces]

6. Thanks for posting

The Whales need our help from countries such as Iceland and Japan.

[roguevalley]

8. finally, proof God exists.

[slowry]

10. You know what this means don't you?

Now we'll have to fight the whales in our own streets.

[flvegan]

11. Which is why every American needs a Concealed Carry License

Without index fingers, the whales are totally screwn.

[twenty4blackbirds]

13. rec

:thumbsup: