Icelandic whaler defends blue whale kill (warning pics inside)

BlackLagoon · Jul 12, 2018

Westbahnhof said:
But that's not what people care about, right? So I still don't get how the comparison works.
People are (usually) against whaling because the animals are endangered and absolutely majestic to behold, I believe.

The thing most people miss is that modern whaling is for the minke whale, which is not in any way endangered. Of course in this case it could be a blue whale they caught, which is endangered, but that would be illegal and have ramifications for the company/whaler in question.

zoukka said:
The endangered part is valid sure. But to think that the suffering of a few majestic animals is worse than that of millions of others is stupid.

I would argue that commercial whaling causes the animals a pure minimum of suffering compared to animals what animals raised in industrial farms are subjected to.

zoukka · Jul 12, 2018

BlackLagoon said:
I would argue that commercial whaling causes the animals a pure minimum of suffering compared to animals what animals raised in industrial farms are subjected to.

Absolutely.

SABO. · Jul 12, 2018

Toxik said:
People super pissed at this but don't care about the thousands of chickens, pigs and cows slaughtered every day..hmm.

Until we figure out a way to mass produce Whales, I'll stay super pissed about this.

ReAxion · Jul 12, 2018

if you're a fishery, you should understand what a whale's carcass means to the rest of the ecosystem you work in. you should probably not haul it on land to chop up for parts.

elyetis · Jul 12, 2018

Toxik said:
People super pissed at this but don't care about the thousands of chickens, pigs and cows slaughtered every day..hmm.

The only people who don't do some level of speciesism, can't be here to speak about it because the let themself starve to death when they realized pretty much anything they did would somehow finance the death of some animal, they also obviously avoided making children because of the potential ( and likely ) impact it could have over dozen of generation, just for the sake of having some offspring.

tears in my eyes · Jul 12, 2018

Tragedy if true, killing endangered animals is inexcusable. The current international laws also forbid commercial whaling.

But people should drop that 'majestic' 'intelligent' nonsenses, its hypocritical as hell. We consume mammal meat daily and take it granted, meanwhile we think of eating reptiles, bugs, etc. wierd and savage.

Keasar · Jul 12, 2018

It looks like a blue whale in every way shape or form, kinda wouldn't rely much on the "it's a hybrid"-argument then.

Vincent Alexander said:
For research! Or some other terrible excuse.

Kin5290 · Jul 12, 2018

The OP omitted a massive part of the story that really biases the tone:

Loftsson claimed that the whale in question was either a fin whale, or a hybrid species, not protected under Icelandic law. He said if it was a blue whale the kill was purely accidental.

According to the whaler, the whale was swimming more like a fin whale, which can be hunted, rather than a blue whale, which cannot. There are documented instances of blue/fin whale hybrids, which aren't covered by the prohibition on hunting blue whales, so DNA testing is needed to determine the species of the whale.

evil solrac v3.0 · Jul 12, 2018

Antiwhippy said:
Uh, as humans we have only been devising ways to generate food at the cost of the environment. The beef industry is far, far more damaging than whaling is and causes more actual extinctions of known and unknown species.

yes, the beef industry is worse. what's your point? that doesn't make whaling any better.

zoukka said:
...which makes it that much more intellectually poor. Pigs are smarter than these blue whales.

they are? when was this proven?

evil solrac v3.0 · Jul 12, 2018

Kin5290 said:
The OP omitted a massive part of the story that really biases the tone:

According to the whaler, the whale was swimming more like a fin whale, which can be hunted, rather than a blue whale, which cannot. There are documented instances of blue/fin whale hybrids, which aren't covered by the prohibition on hunting blue whales, so DNA testing is needed to determine the species of the whale.

and the activists are disputing that claim.

onadesertedisland · Jul 12, 2018

There is no reason to hunt this animal for food. Period. According to the story, experts have said this was a juvenile Blue Whale.

Westbahnhof · Jul 12, 2018

evil solrac v3.0 said:
and the activists are disputing that claim.

I mean, that's why the government is doing genetic testing, right?

Kin5290 · Jul 12, 2018

evil solrac v3.0 said:
and the activists are disputing that claim.

Yes, but it's bad form to include only one group's perspective in the OP when both are available in the source, no less.

Kinthey · Jul 12, 2018

Westbahnhof said:
I wonder, if it's illegal to catch and kill blue whales, would it also be illegal to catch a hybrid?

Especially when you apparently can't tell the difference visually. Basically, they didn't know for certain if they were killing a blue whale or a hybrid. That alone is imo already negligence

Vincent Alexander · Jul 12, 2018

Keasar said:
It looks like a blue whale in every way shape or form, kinda wouldn't rely much on the "it's a hybrid"-argument then.

Holy hell. First time seeing this. That is gold. I recognize the woman too....going to drive me crazy what from.

crimzonflame · Jul 12, 2018

Did you know that the blue whale is the largest animal to ever exist on earth? Even larger than dinosaurs.

Deleted member 7130 · Jul 12, 2018

Humanity is hell bent on ridding the Earth of all the coolest animals. We fucking suck.

dallow_bg · Jul 12, 2018

Vincent Alexander said:
Holy hell. First time seeing this. That is gold. I recognize the woman too....going to drive me crazy what from.

Have you never seen Peep Show? (same characters)

Bengraven · Jul 12, 2018

We didn't kill a blue whale.

*picture of largest creature that ever existed in his back yard*

You fuckers were supposed to cover it with a tarp!

Olaf · Jul 13, 2018

I remember reading that blue whale populations have partially recovered to pre-whaling levels in some areas. Maybe whaling could be returned in smaller amounts. Just keep it controlled and not the wild west it used to be in the 1900s.

Deleted member 13496 · Jul 13, 2018

Bengraven said:
We didn't kill a blue whale.

*picture of largest creature that ever existed in his back yard*

You fuckers were supposed to cover it with a tarp!

Reminds of this.

Tpallidum · Jul 13, 2018

They eat whale in Iceland. It's one of their traditional foods. I visited Iceland just a few weeks ago and they assured me their whale meat was not from an endangered species of whale so I tried it. I ordered and ate whale meat and it was delicious.

This makes me feel terrible about it. What if that was a lie. What have I done?

Skelepuzzle · Jul 13, 2018

That photo is profoundly sad. Not everything is for us to debase in such a fashion.

Strax · Jul 13, 2018

Tpallidum said:
They eat whale in Iceland. It's one of their traditional foods. I visited Iceland just a few weeks ago and they assured me their whale meat was not from an endangered species of whale so I tried it. I ordered and ate whale meat and it was delicious.

This makes me feel terrible about it. What if that was a lie. What have I done?

Icelander here

1. Whale is not a traditional icelandic food. I've literally never seen whale for sale outside of some restaurants, never in store. Almost all whale meat is sold/sent to Japan
2. Any restaurant selling endangered whale would be closed and the owners prosecuted. The health department tests meats in restaurants regulary.
3. Fin whale is indeed delicious.

MrKlaw · Jul 13, 2018

So they accidentally killed one. Did they also accidentally drag it into land, cut it up and sell it?

I hope they were forced to dispose of it and not use any parts

Tpallidum · Jul 13, 2018

Strax said:
Icelander here

1. Whale is not a traditional icelandic food. I've literally never seen whale for sale outside of some restaurants, never in store. Almost all whale meat is sold/sent to Japan
2. Any restaurant selling endangered whale would be closed and the owners prosecuted. The health department tests meats in restaurants regulary.
3. Fin whale is indeed delicious.

Oh okay. Okay. Thanks. Makes sense. Was having like a mini freak out. I'm sorry.

Deleted member 10060 · Jul 13, 2018

BlackLagoon said:
You seem pretty misinformed. The explosive harpoons came into use precisely to minimize the animal's suffering. It's a single explosive bolt to the brain fired by a certified marksman, ensuring a quick, painless kill. I mean, look at the picture... Where are all those horrible wounds you're talking about?

And that's not the reality of things. Plenty of vetrinarians and biologists have spoken out against this hunting method precisely because it causes suffering. It can take minutes, but also hours. Some whales need to be harpoond more than once. Some whales die from drowning after being pulled by the boat. Can it be quick? Sure, but the chances that it won't be are so high that it makes the whooe hunting method pretty grotesque.

Famassu · Jul 13, 2018

evil solrac v3.0 said:
I don't think it's realistic to keep the same practices year after year. as humans we have to start figuring other food sources that don't damage the environment so much. plus blue whales are endangered.

Yes we have. It's called almost-everything-non-animal-based. Aka veganism. But pathetic meat glorifiers can't handle the truth or do any chances in their life styles, so the mindless slaughter of feeling, thinking creatures and destruction of nature continues.

Murfield · Jul 13, 2018

Regarding the discussion of animal intelligence, the intelligence of large whales is not well understood, aside from it being considered to be particularly high. It is very hard to perform scientifically quantified intelligence tests on endangered animals the size of ships. Their intelligence is inferred qualitatively by their behavior in the wild, and the better quantified behavior of their smaller relatives.

A strong argument could be made for the immorality of consuming pigs for meat, as there is evidence to suggest they might be self aware and possibly sapient.

Randam · Jul 13, 2018

I'm confused.

There are pics, but they still say they didn't catch any.

So are they ignoring the pics? Are they not aware of the pics?
Or are they saying they didn't catch it, but it was found on a beach or something like that?

Edit: OK, they say it's a fin whale or a hybrid

Flabber · Jul 13, 2018

Vincent Alexander said:
Holy hell. First time seeing this. That is gold. I recognize the woman too....going to drive me crazy what from.

That's Olivia Colman, she's a brilliant actress and is in loads of stuff.

Jake Gyllenhaal · Jul 13, 2018

I say nuke the whales

A Fish Aficionado · Jul 13, 2018

Famassu said:
Yes we have. It's called almost-everything-non-animal-based. Aka veganism. But pathetic meat glorifiers can't handle the truth or do any chances in their life styles, so the mindless slaughter of feeling, thinking creatures and destruction of nature continues.

Is it endangered or threatened by extinction? Or a bred for a food reserve as a purpose?

Deleted member 26526 · Jul 13, 2018

Oh lord I see whats creeped into this thread - just leave it out.
I best not mention I'm a small livestock holder had I

Sticking to the topic anyway - Boooooo Iceland
Endangered species should be left well alone

Westbahnhof · Jul 13, 2018

Jam_Sandwich said:
Oh lord I see whats creeped into this thread - just leave it out.
I best not mention I'm a small livestock holder had I

Sticking to the topic anyway - Boooooo Iceland
Endangered species should be left well alone

Don't you mean deathstock? /s

Jokes aside, I think this is actually on topic: When we talk about whaling, it often turns out that at least part of people's motivation to be against it is hypocritical. We eat lots of majestic and smart and social animals, yet those attributes inspire empathy from meat eaters against whaling.

My big problem (like yours I believe) is that the animals are endangered.

Deleted member 26526 · Jul 13, 2018

Westbahnhof said:
Don't you mean deathstock? /s

Ha - I'm used to it.
All I can do is make sure they live a happy and healthy a life as possible.

If anyone's got a problem with that then sod them

Luchashaq · Jul 13, 2018

Eduardo Corrochio said:
TMW you defend pitbulls and don't see the big deal about slaughtering whales

Are you implying that pit bulls kill blie whales or other endangered species? That's one impressive dog to kill a whale...

elyetis · Jul 13, 2018

Strax said:
2. Any restaurant selling endangered whale would be closed and the owners prosecuted. The health department tests meats in restaurants regulary.
3. Fin whale is indeed delicious.

So you are saying that currently someone can't have that delicious endangered Fin whale at a restaurant ?

NekoFever · Jul 13, 2018

Vincent Alexander said:
For research! Or some other terrible excuse.

My favourite quote from Good Omens:

"The Kappamaki, a whaling research ship, was currently researching the question: How many whales can you catch in one week?"

Strax · Jul 13, 2018

elyetis said:
So you are saying that currently someone can't have that delicious endangered Fin whale at a restaurant ?

Yeah I fucked up, you can eat Minke Whales in Iceland and they are commonly hunted.
No sure about the status of Fin whale in Iceland

Fanatic · Jul 13, 2018

Really embarrassed that this is happening. Same with whaling on the Faroe Islands and Norway etc.

I'm generally proud of Scandinavia but we're still way behind on this issue. Get it sorted damnit.

Creepy Woody · Jul 13, 2018

How about.. we don't kill anything.

Westbahnhof · Jul 13, 2018

Creepy Woody said:
How about.. we don't kill anything.

Like.. Jainism?

Kinthey · Jul 13, 2018

I don't even get why it would be okay to kill a fin whale. Their kind is endangered as well.

DeltaRed · Jul 13, 2018

I'm not preachy about vegetarianism/vegan to anyone, almost always I say people can eat what they like...but things like this are bullshit. Nobody needs to eat whale, we should have no impact on a species like this at all.

nightwatcher · Jul 13, 2018

Toxik said:
People super pissed at this but don't care about the thousands of chickens, pigs and cows slaughtered every day..hmm.

huh? Do you know what extinction means?

This is like saying why they spent millions of $ protecting white rhino and not just eat it like farm animal *rolleye*

Tophat Jones · Jul 13, 2018

evil solrac v3.0 said:
they are? when was this proven?

George Orwell's groundbreaking thesis, it was called 'Animal Farm'.

ScandiNavy · Jul 13, 2018

I'm not defending this particular instance. Frankly it oozes of bullshit.

As for the killing of whales of healthy populations, culling is a reality just as it is with other wild animals.
Whales eat plankton, and if we get an overpopulation of giant animals vacuuming it, the end result for competing animals should be clear.
I'm fed up with some people claiming we don't need to hunt whales. As if whales were exempt from culling.

R0b1n · Jul 13, 2018

Aren't blue whales endangered?

Vincent Alexander · Jul 13, 2018

dallow_bg said:
Have you never seen Peep Show? (same characters)

I have not. Pretty good show?

Flabber said:
That's Olivia Colman, she's a brilliant actress and is in loads of stuff.

Hot Fuzz! It finally hit me where I recognized her from.

Icelandic whaler defends blue whale kill (warning pics inside)

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