3 ms·

> They're both mammals. Whales are not domesticated. They are not farmed. Cattle are not threatened with extinction.

SapporoChris 7y ago
What does domestication or farming have to do with anything. Whaling is a highly regulated industry in Japan, they have no interest in hunting animals to extinction. "Each year, 62 Baird's beaked whales are hunted commercially in Japan, with the meat sold for human consumption." "Estimates for Baird's are of the order of 30,000 individuals." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_beaked_whale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_beaked_whale More interesting, the meat contains high levels of mercury and PCBs. Just lost my interest in eating it...
- eigenvector 7y ago
  International anti-whaling treaties were signed precisely because whales were being hunted to extinction.
- kjeetgill 7y ago
  > What does domestication or farming have to do with anything. Pretty much everything? You can't really dismiss the parent with: "Naw. I'd rather argue against something you didn't claim". I also hold the impression that the bigger concern with Whales is a question of hunting them to extinction, not a matter of relative intelligence. Fortunately, you do actually end up addressing it anyway; I have no idea if 30,000 is a lot, but if it can really be sustainable fine, eat em. But that just reenforces the idea that a domesticated, farmed population would remove most non-vegan people's concerns.
GolDDranks 7y ago
Also note that the Minke whales that are being whaled, are not threatened with extinction. In fact, they are classified as "least concern".
- sgift 7y ago
  So, let's hunt them to make sure they get back into a more pressing category? Seems like a bad idea.
  - bendiksolheim 7y ago
    This is not binary. It is fully possible to hunt them to keep the population stable. It is not a bad idea at all as long as it is properly regulated.

What does domestication or farming have to do with anything. Whaling is a highly regulated industry in Japan, they have no interest in hunting animals to extinction. "Each year, 62 Baird's beaked whales are hunted commercially in Japan, with the meat sold for human consumption." "Estimates for Baird's are of the order of 30,000 individuals." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_beaked_whale https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_beaked_whale More interesting, the meat contains high levels of mercury and PCBs. Just lost my interest in eating it...

eigenvector 7y ago
International anti-whaling treaties were signed precisely because whales were being hunted to extinction.
kjeetgill 7y ago
> What does domestication or farming have to do with anything. Pretty much everything? You can't really dismiss the parent with: "Naw. I'd rather argue against something you didn't claim". I also hold the impression that the bigger concern with Whales is a question of hunting them to extinction, not a matter of relative intelligence. Fortunately, you do actually end up addressing it anyway; I have no idea if 30,000 is a lot, but if it can really be sustainable fine, eat em. But that just reenforces the idea that a domesticated, farmed population would remove most non-vegan people's concerns.

GolDDranks 7y ago

Also note that the Minke whales that are being whaled, are not threatened with extinction. In fact, they are classified as "least concern".

sgift 7y ago
So, let's hunt them to make sure they get back into a more pressing category? Seems like a bad idea.
- bendiksolheim 7y ago
  This is not binary. It is fully possible to hunt them to keep the population stable. It is not a bad idea at all as long as it is properly regulated.