Your Opinion on Whale and Dolphin Hunting

[Pheroze]

...and perhaps Jonathan Swift's modest proposal needs to be referenced? ;-)

 

[thi9elsp]

Personally, I'm ok with hunting anything as long as it is done in a way that is managed for the long term health of the species - I've seen dolphin as the predator they are eating my redfish and seatrout. I fish a lot is saltwater. Sport fishing gets pushed to the back burner by commercial fishing all the time. Seeing what we experience as a member of Coastal Conservation Association I doubt hunting of those mammals would be managed in a proper way.

 

[Aaron N]

My question is how do you regulate a species that spends a good chunk of its life in international waters?

 

[JKT]

Good discussion so far, guys

Are there even any PH/outfitter out there that offer dolphin hunts? I know I have seen some that offer seals.

 

[ArmyGrunt]

Just need a vaulted ceiling, that's all.

View attachment 164435

Yes, please!

 

[bluey]

My question is how do you regulate a species that spends a good chunk of its life in international waters?

Personally, I'm ok with hunting anything as long as it is done in a way that is managed for the long term health of the species - I've seen dolphin as the predator they are eating my redfish and seatrout. I fish a lot is saltwater. Sport fishing gets pushed to the back burner by commercial fishing all the time. Seeing what we experience as a member of Coastal Conservation Association I doubt hunting of those mammals would be managed in a proper way.

sports fishing doesn't get put on the back burner to commercial fishing , whats so ever.....recreational fishing , is the very first thing that comes into consideration of the quota of the bio mass of any commercial fishable species
once theres a percentage of what recos take , its calculated into the equation and taken off the quota of each and every fishable species
when theres a quota cut , due to lots of different reasons , the commercial quota is the first thing that feels that cut
long before rec.bag limits are cut

a pod of dolphins is definitely predatory
they are awesome to watch ,when balling up a school of small fish
and take in turns to feed ,one at a time , while the rest of the pod circle keeping the small fish together
a doplin isn't capable of eating a very big fish
or biting a big fish into small pieces,
they eat small fish one at a time and only head first,
a wild dolphin wont eat a dead fish
IF there was ever allocated whale/dolphin quota, it would only be conducted under on scientific data collection = there would be on board observers , as with any and all subjective fisheries world wide special ones in the southern ocean around antartica
I can speak of artic fisheries as I know SFA about them

there is so many species that are fished world wide now that highly migatory..all of which are quotaed
it all comes into scientific data collection , through on board observer, that go to sea on fishing boats world wide, usually young uni students that are studying , marine science , marine biology
these blokes and blokettes, are on the deck the whole time theres any fishing activity goin on , they monitor everything , and collect information , on size , sex, otilith(earbones )for aging, by catch , numbers,effort,depth , gps positions, moon phases, tides, water tempratures even weather
they go through the whole trip from start to finish . then spend some times weeks processing the data they collect,
in most fisheries there is an observer on board every third trip....

 

[thi9elsp]

@bluey I suspect we are talking different areas of the world. In the U.S. it is a cluster for gulf of mexico red snapper. The off take is allocated to for hire, large recreational skippers and commercial. Here's a link. As recreational anglers, running our own boats we only get 9 days to fish vs. 44 for for hire, and year-round for commercial. And, they've shut us down after less than 9 days because "we've caught too much". So, because of my experience, I don't trust global management of migratory species in water.

http://www.joincca.org/articles/771

Also, I've seen dolphin go after redfish that weren't that small probably 12 - 15", schooling them up against the shallow water.

 

[Divernhunter]

It is morally wrong to hunt whales with a 223 or a 243.

 

[Pondoro]

I see no problem in harvesting from the sea, wether it is tuna fish or whale....we have been whaling for more than 100 years.....of course the whaling during the 50s and 60s nearly brought the big whales to extincion....should have been stopped earlier (blue -and finn whales..).

But we still do some whaling at a small scale along our coast....with the blessing of the scientifical community..

Moral has nothing to do with it...its about harvesting from a sustainable source..

 

[Pondoro]

Obligatory shooting test for whalers:

Whaling of Spitsbergen:

 

[Nyati]

Rookhawk, debating about the morals/ethics of hunting different species is to go on a very slippery slope.

For example, you claim that a chimp has a the demonstrable intelligence of a 3-4 year old. Really ?

As far as I know, all psychologists do not even agree on a definition of what is intelligence, so it is hard to believe that statement.

Modern psychology lists a series of different capacities and abilities to describe intelligence, which all humans are supposed to possess in different levels.

Do animals possess some of these ? Probably.

Which and to what level ? That will be a very long discussion, even among scientists.

Some state that elephants have sentience (feelings) so should we ban elephant hunting ?

I the end, it´s a personal decision, some of us, for whatever reason, will just show no desire to shoot a given species of animal, and that is our choice.

You won´t shoot chimps, I wont shoot cats (unless they want to eat me )

 

[bluey]

thi9elsp
12 -15 inches isn't a big fish
specially if they are long and skinny, and shaped like a makeral,or squid (a major and preferred food for all dolphins)
if your red fish is shaped like ours, a dolphin couldn't swallow ,even a small one
the Mexican gulf is a world away from bass strait ,tasman sea, southern ocean where I fish
if you guys are so restricted on days/bag limits.
theres most likely a reason , whether its over fished, pollution ,or some other reason
if the stocks are quotaed , recreational take is definitely a big part of the equitation
the quota of many highly migatory species , come under the united nations, again not my fishery ,
but subject of much discussion ,and Australian stocks of these fishes are in plenty good order, and due to the rec. guys catching more and more each year , the commercial quota is the one the gets cut , and policed hard

out of interest
why arnt the recreational fishing clubs and organisations, working with fisheries departments and commercial fisherman and their assosiations , together to work towards a fair agreement
the recreational revenue , and tourism value has a much bigger turnover ,than the commercial revenue , towards , local , state and national economy ?
after all the oceans resources belong to every body?
commercial fisherman , only own the restricted statuory fishing rights, to the quotaed species in their industry
which anybody can buy ?

 

[thi9elsp]

@bluey I think you are on the same page - equitable. In your instance, it seems that science is giving reason to the allocation. In many of our instances, the commercial seems to go an over-allocation in-spite of the recreational benefits and value you list. That's where my frustration and many of my CCA members have the rub with how many of our domestic, saltwater species are managed. Our states are doing a very good job. Our federal government isn't. And, I don't expect anything to change with the new administration. Fish aren't cute and cuddly so they don't make good photographs.

 

[TyrannosaurusJordan]

I am fine with the harvesting of recovered whale species like minkes and humpbacks, though I'm not so sure about dolphins (though I think the shooting of crows is more unethical). I'd like to try whale meat myself. It's interesting, the debate about where we should draw the line. If primitive hominins like Australopithecus and Homo habilis were still alive, I think the debate would be even more interesting (though I'd much prefer to hunt WITH a primitive human than to hunt it).

 

[JKT]

Fascinating discussion everyone! My own view is that I don't have a problem with hunting anything so long that t is sustainable. In fact one dream on my bucket list is to go on a seal hunt.

Possible, maybe the one animal that I draw a personal line and wont hunt is the great apes. There is just....something....about them that makes me feel uncomfortable to shoot - kind of hard to explain lol

 

[Ryanlo]

Had a Nannie in NZ when I lived there. She used to long line. Said they caught a dolphin and it died. So they cut some steaks out of it. Said it was the best she had ever had. Always a ton of them around. If they taste that good let's eat them.

 

[Opposite Pole]

I'd like to try whale meat myself.

I've eaten whale meat in Norway, it was fatty and very fishy tasting - rather unpleasant. My Norwegian friend said it was probably not cooked the right way as for her it is rather tasty. It was in a restaurant in Bergen.

As for hunting, in my opinion if a humane kill is possibly and likely I'm for it, provided safety and health of the overall population is sustained - and that can be done. Have no knowledge of the killing part, so can't comment. Killer Whales drown immature Whales in a process that takes hours but we, humans have different tools at our disposal and what is done by wild beast in nature is often too cruel from human perspective.

 

[lwaters]

When in the Navy I ate some raw whale meat in a bar in Japan. Can't say I remember what it tasted like. In Nicaragua while fishing for tarpon there were a few dolphins around the boat. The guide said they had never had one bite a lure or bait. I don't think we had a pole big enough to even stop one. I think if there are to many whales then the people who like the meat should be able to eat it.

 

[Ray B]

It's not politically correct to refer to Killer Whales as Killer Whales. the Kindler Gentler term presently in vogue is Orca. They sound so much more friendly.

 

[GuttormG]

I've eaten whale meat in Norway, it was fatty and very fishy tasting - rather unpleasant. My Norwegian friend said it was probably not cooked the right way as for her it is rather tasty. It was in a restaurant in Bergen.

To bad they serve such low quality meat
Proper, good quality whale meat is dark, lean and has a gamey taste. The fishy taste comes from fat, the proper cuts is without any fat. Unfortunately cuts with fatty layers ends up in restaurants and shops, it is cheap...

If one want to eat good seafood (and whale); stay away from Bergen.. It is a tourist processing plant.....