Tourists on a whale watching expedition in Norwegian waters were not impressed when some eager whalers, taking advantage of the nice weather, harpooned one of the whales they were watching.
Read the story in the Aftenposten, click here.
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Thanks to Ann for sending us the link.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
Thanks Jennifer for posting this article.
Some comments from Norwegian paper Dagbladet’s readers on this incident.
” I was a tourist in Spain and saw lot of bull blood”( a very Norwegian comment)
” I am principally not opposed to the idea why whales can’t be hunted like any other animal, but it is a reality that Norwegian whaling is a costly industry/employment and there is no reason why this protected industry is causing trouble for industries as whale watching where people can support themselves.”
Note that the spokesman for the whalers did this statement:”… it is important to notice it is only extreme anti whaling persons that go whale watching”.
One Norwegian did this comment on this statement:
” Where from come all the loonies?” And continues: ” The whaling industry is not famous for its spokesmen doing sound and rational comments, even ordinary nature loving persons go whale watching”.
This is true, even David@Tokyo wants to go whale watching:).
This is truly shocking. Unbelievable. It is like going to the butcher shop and being treated to the spectacle of seeing a cow slain. Horrid!
I still dont agree with this notion “… it is important to notice it is only extreme anti whaling persons that go whale watching”
It is quite possible to admire an animal before and whilst it is being killed. In fact, in a perfect world that is how it should be.
Imagine what could have happened if any children were on the whale watching tour as well… they could be haunted by this nightmare the rest of their lives…
“admire an animal before and whilst it is being killed”
oh yes – excellent blood spatter, I liked the way its brains exploded – quite artistic really. Just think about it.
Ann, as I’ve said, there is nothing incompatible with supporting whaling and whale-watching, so long as both are sustainable.
Obviously, better co-ordination is required to prevent direct overlapping of activities as in this instant. I wasn’t aware that minke whales were targetted by commercial Norwegian whale-watching hunts. I thought they must have been chasing some other species, in some other area.
Indeed, the comment about only extreme anti-whaling people going whale watching was a bit silly. To be expected though – just look at all the stupid things anti-whaling people say all the time.
By the way Ann, did you read the story about Greenpeace breaking it’s own Accountability Charter in 22 days? If you missed it you can see it on my blog.
Historically human and animal sacrifice has been part of many cultural and religious ceremonies, “sacrifice” is from the word “sacred”
I read that the half woman half fish Sedna figures heavily in Inuit culture – her hands arethe whales. “In the mythology of the Inuit the goddess of the sea and the whale — Sedna — was the most revered of all deities. The Inuit would perform elaborate ceremonies and rites prior to each hunt and perform a dance that mimics the swimming of the whale, even spitting tinted red water out of their mouths to foreshadow a successful hunt and the bleeding whale. They ask the whale to sacrifice itself to feed their families.”
http://www.american.edu/TED/eskimo.htm
Whale watchers could be seen as modern day whale worshippers
From the same article;
“The Eskimos once occupied the Arctic shores of North America and adjacent parts of Asia from the mouth of the Kolyma River in European Russia East Greenland. This culture has always been based primarily upon sea mammal hunting, whale hunting being the most important economic factor, and is further characterized by permanent settlements at places favorable for hunting whale, walrus, and seal.
However, the meaning of Inupiat subsistence hunting goes beyond the survival-oriented imperative of providing the necessities of food and clothing. An Inupiat hunter testimonial evokes the ritual and religious importance of the bowhead hunt: “The whale is more than food to us. It is the center of our life and culture. We are the People of the Whale. The taking and sharing of the whale are our Eucharist and Passover. The whaling festival is our Easter and Christmas, the Arctic celebrations of the mysteries of life.”
Oh right, kids traumatised for life. Then take the little drop kicks out to watch a bunch of Orca’s feeding on baby whales. They would see a whole lot more blood and a whole lot more distress from the exhausted, distraught mother whale.
These would be the same kids who grow up and not stop to put their roadkill out of their misery. Most will have completely forgotten about it before they got home. We know you are out there, you hypocrites, all over the place.
And don’t you just love the media implication that the whalers interfered with the whale molesters, not the other way around. Lets get this clear, the whaling industry predates whale wanking by a few millenia. It is the existing dominant use. And on this particular day a bunch of rubberneckers sailed into someone’s workplace and then dished up a load of mock outrage.
As usual Ian, you have expressed your point with poise and eloquence.