minkewhaleburger wrote:

>         Whaling research vessel leaves for Antarctic
>       SHIMONOSEKI, Japan - People bid farewell to the Japanese whaling
> research vessel Nisshin Maru, which left Shimonoseki port in Yamaguchi
> Prefecture for the Antarctic on Nov. 7. The research team will capture up to
> 440 minke whales to collect data and make a report to the International
> Whaling Commission, before returning to Japan next April (Kyodo)

I have no interest in eating whale. It appears that it is only those in favor
of whaling continue to use the old IWC population estimates of 760,000 for the
Antarctic minke, but it is still sustainable. Japanese killing 440 a year are
not responsible for rough population estimates declining by as much as half to
two thirds in two decades. Hunting minke is like hunting many finite species
such as bear or large African beasts, when done legally.

Imagine if we treated other limited and dwindling natural resources like we
protect certain animals. We'd have to stop using wood and fossil fuels. We'd
have to stop using fresh water. We'd have to stop mining for metals, precious
metals and gems. If we got too low on forest, we'd have to stop using oxygen.

The issue with minke whales is the safety of the meat itself.